2026 Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Stage 7 Results & Recap
Stage 7 of the 2026 Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
This race's ability to surprise was shown once again on a day of non-action that ended with Isaac Del Toro (UAD) riding solo to victory on the Grand Colombier after catching and then dropping Juan Ayuso (LTK) 2km from the finish. Luke Tuckwell (RHB) rode bravely on the final climb to defend the yellow jersey, but his lead was cut to 42 seconds by Matteo Jorgenson (TVL), with Del Toro another seven seconds back in third.
Home hopes had rested on Paul Seixas (DCT), but the 19-year-old Frenchman's chances all but ended when he crashed early in the stage. Four minutes behind the bunch at one point, he managed to rejoin his rivals just before the penultimate climb, but couldn't hold the pace of the best on the final ascent, where he crossed the line in 7th place.
That incident came after a very busy start, the action beginning with a crash in the neutral zone that forced Gal Glivar (APT) to abandon and left Dani Martínez (RBH) struggling. Three short climbs followed soon after. Approaching the top of the third, the Côte de Saint Maurice de Rotherens, the organizers neutralized the stage because there was gravel on the descent.
No sooner had racing begun again than Seixas went down, the crash leaving him with cuts to his right hip and knee. For a long while, it appeared that he might abandon the race. The gap grew to 4 minutes before his teammates started to pace him in earnest back towards the bunch.
It was a long haul that drew on the resources of all of his teammates, but the gap was finally closed in between the cat 1 ascent through the Grand Colombier's hairpins and the cat 2 Col de Richemond, the penultimate of six climbs.
By that point, a 6-rider break was clear. Quinn Simmons (LTK), Laurens De Plus (NCI), Carlos Rodríguez (NCI), Valentin Paret-Peintre (SOQ), George Bennett (NSN) and Clément Berthet (GFC) had close to a minute on the bunch.
After Simmons was called back to the bunch to set the pace for his team leader Ayuso, the other five continued up the Richemond, where Rodríguez was dropped. Descending away from it, the four surving escapees were reeled in by the bunch.
The bunch started up the final climb soon after. Seixas and Tuckwell were already losing ground when Ayuso made his move, with 7km of relentlessly steep ramps still to negotiate. He opened a lead of close to 30 seconds, but kept looking back as if expecting an attack to come.
4km from home, it began, as Del Toro accelerated away from Jorgenson, Johannessen and Cian Uijtdebroeks (MOV). The Mexican champion gained steadily on Ayuso, finally catching him with 2km left. He went to the front, accelerated again and eased away. At the line, he was 24 seconds clear of Ayuso and jumped seven places on GC to third. He now looks well set to climb another two places tomorrow.
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