2026 Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Stage 8 Results & Recap
Stage 8 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
Isaac Del Toro (UAD) took his second summit stage win in as many days to wrap the biggest stage race victory of his young career at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. After attacking his GC rivals with 9km remaining of the race's final climb to Plateau de Solaison, Del Toro never looked like being caught and finished a minute clear of Juan Ayuso (LTK), with Tobias Halland Johannessen (UXM) another couple of seconds back in third place.
Race leader Luke Tuckwell (RBH) put up a very impressive defence of his yellow jersey, finishing seventh on the stage, which secured second place overall for the Australian new professional, 54 seconds behind Del Toro, with Ayuso claiming third place, 1'17" back.
This race's "queen" stage went up from the start and mountains leader Clément Braz Afonso (GFC) was quick to take advantage. He instigated the first attack and led over the top of the climb with Laurens De Plus (NCI), Carlos Rodríguez (NCI), Harold Tejada (XAT), Georg Steinhauser (EFE), Valentin Paret-Peintre (SOQ) and Léo Bisiaux (DCT) for company.
Bisiaux's presence up front suggested that his team leader Paul Seixas (DCT) might be struggling with the injuries that he sustained when crashing yesterday, and this was quickly confirmed. Seixas stopped on the descent, troubled by the jarring to his bandaged left elbow. Although he continued briefly, he abandoned the race at the foot of the climb.
Kévin Vauquelin (NCI) bridged up to the break on that descent, making eight riders up front. Although he and Bisiaux were dropped on the second climb, the super category Montée de Bisanne, they rejoined the break at the foot of the subsequent descent, where the break's lead reached its maximum of two and a half minutes.
That advantage was more than halved on the next climb, the Col des Aravis, where Ayuso's Lidl-Trek teammates upped the pace. Coming to the foot of the final ascent, the eight escapees had a lead of 50 seconds.
As Paret-Peintre, De Plus and Rodríguez went clear at the front, the yellow jersey group thinned rapidly behind them, Del Toro's UAE teammates doing the damage. Tuckwell slipped off the back of the GC group with 9.5km remaining, and soon after Del Toro made his move.
The Mexican breezed across the 12-second gap to the break, which had lost De Plus. Paret-Peintre quickly yielded and it wasn't long before Rodríguez dropped back too.
Within a couple of kilometers, Del Toro was the virtual race leader having erased his 49-second deficit on Tuckwell. With 6km left, Ayuso attacked from the chase group in a final bid to close the gap to the Mexican. He reduced it by a handful of seconds, but gradually began to cede more ground and was almost reeled in by Johannessen as he faded.
Tuckwell, meanwhile, was guided up the climb by teammate Maxim Van Gils (RBH), his second place on GC ending a fine week for his team after Van Gils' stage win on Friday.
Ultimately, though, this was the Del Toro show. He won at a canter and looks well set to be the ideal lieutenant to UAE team leader Tadej Pogačar at the Tour in four weeks.
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