As it happened: All change in the GC amid attacks and crashes on action-packed stage 7 of Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Hello and welcome to the penultimate stage of the 2026 Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes!

Far from providing a definitive sort out in the race for GC at this Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes, yesterday’s stage served instead to make the rankings look even messier.

A successful breakaway means the top three is entirely made up of riders we would not have expected to be so high up this deep into the race, while the top favourites like Matteo Jorgenson, Paul Seixas and Isaac del Toro are still left with minutes to make up.

Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes stage 6: Maxim Van Gils claims victory at Crest-Voland from huge breakaway

That leaves the men with aspirations of winning the yellow jersey with lots of time still to make up, but only two stages left to do so. The stage is therefore set for an attacking penultimate day of the race today, when they can’t afford to leave it too late to make their moves.

Leading the charge for the yellow jersey will be Paul Seixas. All eyes were on the Frenchman to blow away the opposition as he has done regularly this season, and while his ride wasn’t quite as domineering as former efforts, he still did succeed in distancing everyone other than Isaac Del Toro on the final climb yesterday.

The riders are off from the unofficial start. Given the success of the breakaways so far at this race, there will surely be many itching to attack and get into today's once the flag drops.

The parcours offers a great chance for any riders with strong climbing legs to do just that. The road goes uphill almost from the start for the Col du Banchet, the first of three climbs within the first 25km.

Yesterday it was Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe who benefited from the break’s success, with Max Van Gils taking the stage and Luke Tuckwell the overall lead. The latter now has a yellow jersey to defend, and based on how he climbed yesterday, it won’t be easy to prise from his shoulders.

There are a few non-starters to report. The headline name is Oscar Onley, who only just managed to finish yesterday after a worrying crash, and has opted against continuing the race. Where this leaves his Tour de France ambitions remains to be seen, but the nature of the incident means he’ll be feeling lucky matters aren’t worse.

Oscar Onley out of Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes as Geraint Thomas reveals injuries from 'drop into ravine'

CRASH

Unfortunately, there’s been another crash today, before the riders have even reached the official start. Dani Martinez (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Alex Diaz (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) and Gal Glivar (Alpecin-Premier Tech) have all gone down.

Martinez and Diaz are both up and running, but Glivar is worse off. He's abandoned the race.

That crash has delayed the official start, but they will be racing soon.

OFFICIAL START

And they're off!

Having attacked yesterday, Valentin Paret-Peintre is still in an aggressive mood and is trying to go off the front again.

Kévin Vauquelin is also on the attack. That’s interesting, as, despite losing time yesterday, he’s still up in 15th on GC at 3:50. This could be a very hard start to control if riders like him keep trying to get up the road.

Those two are joined by Clément Braz Afonso.

KOM - COL DU BANCHET

That trio make it to the top of the climb together, Braz Afonso take the KOM points ahead of Vauquelin and Paret-Peintre.

However, all three have been caught again. That was too dangerous a move to let go.

By claiming the points, Braz Afonso increases his lead in the virtual KOM classification, which now looks like this:

1 Braz Afonso 39

2 Baudin 14

3 Thomas 12

4 Samitier 11

5 Vercher 11

Done descending, the riders are now embarking on the second climb of the day. The Col de la Crusille rises at 4.2% for 2.9km.

Attacks keep being made but nothing has stuck yet.

KOM - COL DE LA CRUSILLE

Braz Afonso again moves to the front to claim the solitary points on offer at the top of the day's second climb.

120KM TO GO

Braz Afonso hasn't sat up after cresting the climb, and leads the race with a small gap.

Braz Afonso has been caught, as the peloton is about to start the third climb in quick succession.

Here was Kévin Vauquelin trying to go clear earlier, on the first climb.

They're climbing again, and there's a surprise at the back of the peloton a Luke Plapp is dropped.

This climb, the Côte de Saint-Maurice-de-Rotherens, is the hardest of the opening trio, with a steeper gradient of 7% for its 4.9km.

It’s been announced that the race will be neutralised on the descent following this climb. There is gravel on the road, so in the name of safety the riders will take it on slowly before resuming racing at the bottom.

110KM TO GO

6 riders have gone clear and have a gap - Paret-Peintre, Quinn, G. Bennett, Garcia Pernia, Jegat and Berthet.

KOM - COTE DE SAINT-MAURICE-DE-ROTHERENS

Berthet crests the climb first ahead of Bennett, Jegat and Paret-Peintre. The race will now be neutralised as they descend.

Here’s what the KOM rankings look like after the first three climbs of the day have been completed:

1 Braz Afonso 40

2 Baudin 14

3 Thomas 12

4 Samitier 11

5 Vercher 11

The descent is being taken very slowly to avoid any incident on the gravel found on the road.

100KM TO GO

The racing is about to resume again.

RACE RESUMES

They've reached the bottom of the descent, and the road has been deemed safe again for them to race.

CRASH - PAUL SEIXAS

The race favourite has gone down! Two Decathlon teammates are waiting up for him.

Seixas is on his bike and chasing back to the peloton with his teammates.

Meanwhile there is no breakaway at the moment - the group of 6 that had gone clear prior to the neutralisation are back in the peloton.

Mathis Le Berre has attacked out of the peloton and has a lead.

Seixas took some time to get back on his bike and start racing again. Consequently, he's over three minutes behind the peloton.

The big question is: how badly hurt is he?

Back at the front of the race, former stage winner Quinn Simmons has joined Le Berre.

90KM TO GO

Simmons and Le Berre lead by only a few seconds, while Seixas is still over three minutes adrift.

Le Berre and Simmons have both been brought back into the peloton.

Seixas and his Decathlon helpers had been closing the gap, but it's now getting bigger again, rising to 3:45. His hopes for the GC could be disappearing.

Andreas Kron (Uno-X Mobility), Mathieu Burgaudeau (Total Energies), Clément Braz Afonso (GroupamaFDJ) and Sam Maisonobe (Cofidis) attacked earlier on the unclassified climb they're taking on, but were brought back.

Seixas has Hoole and Bissegger with him, but now has four minutes to make up.

At the front, Quinn and Bilbao are the latest riders to have a go at attacking.

80KM TO GO

Still Seixas trails by about four minutes, while Bilbao and Quinn have a slender lead on the peloton of just a few seconds.

The riders are now on the longest flat section of the stage, leading up to the foot of the category one Lacets du Grand Colombier. Just as well Seixas has two big rouleurs with him in Bissegger and Hoole, as this is horrible terrain to have to chase a whole peloton.

Paul Seixas, bearing the scars of his crash.

Multiple riders have joined Quinn and Bilbao at the front of the race, including Simmons.

The other riders now in the front group: Bennett, Kron, Burgaudeau, Maisonobe, Berthet, Vermaerke and Bisiaux.

The group has been reduced, to just Bilbao, Bennett, Burgaudeau, Maisonobe and Berthet.

Still Seixas and his two Decathlon teammates aren't making any inroads They remain at just under four minutes.

Seixas’ problem is that the pace in the peloton remains fast, as a definitive break is yet to form. Could he make it back into the bunch if a break does eventually form and the race therefore calms down?

Maisonobe is dropped from the other four as they near the foot of Lacets du Grand Colombier.

DNF - PABLO CASTRILLO

The Movistar rider has abandoned the race.

Simmons, De Plus and Bouchard are trying to bridge up to the four leaders, Bilbao, Bennett, Berthet and Burgaudeau.

Seixas is at last making some inroads! The gap is back down from almost four minutes to about 2:30.

The leaders are on the climb! This is the first proper mountain of the stage, an a brutally steep slog averaging 10.1% for 8.5km.

Simmons, De Plus and Bouchard have joined the four leaders.

Behind, Seixas has ditched teammates Hoole and Bissegger and climbing this mountain by himself.

Vauquelin is out the back of the peloton on the lower slopes of the climb.

Seixas has company again in teammate Aurélien Paret-Peintre, after he dropped back from the peloton.

In the front group, Samitier, Braz Afonso and Paret-Peintre are also present.

60KM TO GO

The lead group is made up of ten riders, who have a lead of 15 seconds:

Quinn Simmons, Valentin Paret-Peintre, George Bennett, Clément Braz Afonso, Pello Bilbao, Carlos Rodriguez, Sergio Samitier, Jordan Jegat, Laurens De Plus and Clément Berthet

De Plus leads the break with Netcompany teammate Rodríguez on his wheel. The group is being thinned out.

Behind, Seixas is still being paced by Paret-Peintre, and is gradually making inroad, now two minutes behind the peloton.

The peloton is thinning out on this climb. Armirail, who is second on GC, looks like he's about to be dropped.

De Plus' pace is too much for most in the lead group, with only Bennett, Berthet and Simmons still with his and his teammate Rodríguez.

Simmons is now being dropped from the front group.

Simmon has made it back to the leaders, along with Valentin Paret-Peintre.

KOM - LACETS DU GRAND COLOMBIER

Berthet leads the front group over the top of the climb.

The lead group of 6 is 30 seconds ahead of the peloton.

Seixas is getting closer to the peloton. He's getting an easier ride now as he's reached the convoy of cars.

Seixas has more support now too, as teammate Nicolas Prodhomme has also dropped back to help him.

As they descend, Seixas is just 1:10 behind the peloton.

Amid all the Seixas drama, it’s easy to forget that he already had a lot of work to do even pre-crash to win this race in order to depose GC leader Luke Tuckwell. The neo-pro intends to defend the jersey to the best of his ability, and has survived the day’s climbs so far with no problems.

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Seixas also has more direct GC rivals in Del Toro and Jorgenson, and their respective UAE and Visma teams are leading the peloton as they begin the valley road following the descent.

It's still advantage Seixas though. He has just 45 more seconds to make up.

Up ahead, Simmons has sat up and dropped out of the lead group.

Seixas still has Prodhomme and Paret-Peintre pacing him. Decathlon have done a great job timing who to send to help him, and when to do so.

Simmons is back in the peloton and pulling at the front. It seems his Lidl team must have called him back for domestique duties on behalf of Ayuso and Skjelmose.

Simmons is sharing the peloton pace-setting with Visma's Armirail.

Simmons and Armirail are ensuring that Seixas has to work to return to the peloton. He still has 40 seconds to make up.

There can't be more than 40 riders left in the peloton.

40KM TO GO

The peloton is 45 seconds behind the leading five, and 35 seconds ahead of the Seixas group.

Aurélien Paret-Peintre is at last done, swinging off the front and dropping out of the group. That was a monster turn from Seixas' teammate.

The peloton earlier, riding up the famously beautiful Lacets du Grand Colombier.

Léo Bisiaux has dropped back from the peloton to become the latest Decathlon rider to help Seixas.

SEIXAS GROUP BACK IN THE PELOTON

And it hasn't taken Bisiaux long to succeed. With 36km, the Seixas is back with the peloton!

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30KM TO GO

The pace has steadied in the peloton now that Seixas is back, and the break's lead has been allowed to grow to 50 seconds.

UAE lead the peloton as they ride the lower slopes of the penultimate climb the category two Col de Richmond, which rises for 7.7km at 6%.

Simmons has dropped out from the peloton on the climb, having done a lot of work to try and delay Seixas' rejoining it.

Simmons might be done, but his Lidl team aren't. They've taken over from UAE setting the pace in the peloton.

UAE are also working with Lidl.

The peloton is being reduced, down to about 35 riders.

Luke Tuckwell is safely in it, and doesn't look in any trouble at all yet.

A reminder that Jorgenson is 2:34 behind Tuckwell on GC, Seixas 3:06 behind, Ayuso and Skjelmose 3:15 behind and Del Toro 3:22.

The peloton, being led by Lidl's Carlos Verona.

Rodríguez is dropped from the front group! That's a surprise, as his Netcompany teammate De Plus had been doing much of the work on his behalf.

De Plus looks confused. He's looking behind him and wondering what has happened to his teammate.

Rodríguez was also poised to gain time on the GC by being in the lead group. He began the stage 20th overall at 4:22, just 1:16 behind Seixas.

Rodríguez is back in the peloton, which is now being paced again by Simmons, who's made his way back to the front.

KOM - COL DE RICHEMOND

Berthet leads the break over the penultimate climb, ahead of Bennett, De Plus and Paret-Peintre.

20KM TO GO

The break's days are surely numbered. They lead by only 13 seconds, as they descend to the foot of the final climb.

The final climb is the same as the third-from-last tackled earlier, the Grand Colombier only this time via a much steeper way up. It averages a horrible 10.5%, for 8.5km whole kilometres.

The break has been caught! In truth they were never given any hope of surviving by a peloton, with the racing having been on all day.

Lidl-Trek lead the peloton as they're about to hit the bottom of the climb.

They begin the climb, Simmons setting the pace.

Already Rodríguez has been dropped. His legs must have blown up, despite looking so well positioned in the break earlier.

Simmons is done, and Kamna takes over for Lidl. Their leaders Ayuso and Skjelmose must be feeling good today.

Kamna's done, and there's a change at the front as Uno-X take over.

The peloton is thinning, G Martin one of those dropped.

The yellow jersey appears to be struggling! Tuckwell is at the back of the group, just about hanging on.

Seixas is only one rider ahead of him. Is the Frenchman suffering from his crash, and the efforts required to rejoin the peloton?

Now Visma take over at the front with Tulett, Jorgensson on his wheel.

The peloton is very stretched out, and Seixas and Tuckwell are right at the back of it.

There's a slight gap of about a bikelength opened up between Seixas's teammate Bisiaux and the rider in front of him but not a big enough gap to say they've been dropped yet.

AYUSO ATTACK

The Lidl rider makes his move just under 7km from the finish! This is what the team was setting up.

Ayuso has taken Tulett with him.

Jorgenson, Cian Uijtdebroeks, Johannessen and Del Toro have formed a group behind, but Seixas is missing from it.

Ayuso has dropped Tulett and leads the race alone, but 15 seconds ahead of the Jorgensson group.

Seixas is with Tuckwell in a group, and they're 20 seconds behind the Jorgensson group.

Also in the yellow jersey group with Tuckwell and Seixas - Skjelmose, Cristián Rodríguez, Bisiaux and Castellon.

5KM TO GO

Ayuso leads Jorgensson, Del Toro, Uijtdebroeks and Johannessen by 22 seconds, and the yellow jersey group by 40 seconds.

Seixas has upped the pace in the yellow jersey group, and dropped everyone in it aside from Skjelmose.

Tulett is done, so Jorgenson takes over in the main chase group.

Seixas (with Skjelmose glued to his wheel) is slowly but surely making up ground. He's just caught and passed Tulett.

Del Toro takes over from Jorgenson, and his increase in pace has seen Uijtdebroeks dropped.

And now Del Toro has gone clear from all of them!

Del Toro is trying to chase Ayuso, but still has over 10 seconds to make up.

3km to go, Ayuso leads Del Toro by 13 seconds and Seixas/Skjelmose by 40 seconds, with Johannessen, Uijtdebroeks and Jorgenson somewhere in between.

It's unclear how far adrift the yellow jersey of Tuckwell is.

Del Toro can see Ayuso up ahead on these steep gradients, but can't close the gap that stubbornly refuses to dip below 10 seconds.

Johannessen and Uijtdebroeks have dropped Jorgenson.

In the blink of an eye, suddenly Del Toro has caught Ayuso!

And now Del Toro has gone clear - he’s riding alone to what looks like will be the stage victory.

1KM TO GO

Del Toro leads, and there's daylight between himself and Ayuso.

Del Toro looks set to win the stage, but will also want to gain as much time as possible, with a lot of time needed to overthrow Tuckwell at the top of the GC.

As things stand he's set to leap up the GC, but not necessarily ahead of Jorgenson, who is limiting his losses.

Del Toro is approaching the finish...

ISAAC DEL TORO WINS

The Mexican rider takes the stage!

Ayuso finishes for 2nd place, a whole 25 seconds behind.

Johannessen clips off the chase group for third place, while Jorgenson - who made it back into that group - takes fourth ahead of Uijtdebroeks.

And Seixas finishes to take 6th, about 1:25 after Del Toro.

Now we wait for the yellow jersey.

Here he comes, gritting his teeth.

Tuckwell finishes at 2:33 - which is just about enough to defend the yellow jersey from Jorgenson!

It's all change at the top of the GC. Tuckwell defends yellow, but behind him the big names are assembling - Jorgenson moves up to 2nd at 0:42, Del Toro 3rd at 0:49, Ayuso 4th at 1:06, Johannessen 5th at 1:33 and Seixas 6th at 1:54.

That’s a great win for Del Toro, his first since March when he claimed overall victory at Tirreno-Adriatico - and also sets him up well for a shot at winning the GC here, with one stage to come tomorrow.

For a while it looked as though Juan Ayuso was poised to win the stage, before being gazumped by Del Toro. Asked at the finish why he attacked early, Ayuso was frank: “Because I’m stupid!” In hindsight, he wishes he left it until later to make his move, and not burn so many matches.

One of the stories of the day was of course Paul Seixas’ crash. While he did eventually make it back to the peloton after a long chase, it was clear he wasn’t his usual self on the final climb, as he was dropped early. He dug deep and paced himself well, and still managed to finish 7th, but it does no longer look like he will win the GC, with almost two minutes to make up and five riders to leapfrog.

An 'idiotic' crash and a 'crazy' chase – Paul Seixas recounts extraordinary blood-stained fightback at Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

The day's winner, Isaac del Toro.

The GC is fascinatingly poised with the two strongest riders today left with ground to make up if they’re to win the GC (Del Toro in 3rd at 4 seconds, Ayuso in 4th at 1:06) but clearly with the legs to stand a chance of winning it. Tomorrow promises to be a thrilling conclusion!

One rider still very well poised to try and win the GC is Matteo Jorgenson. Though he was dropped, he limited his losses very well, to just 41 seconds to Del Toro and 17 seconds to Ayuso. Tomorrow’s is another hard summit finish, but with gradients not quite as steep as the Colombier today, he might fancy his chances of defending the 7 seconds he has over Del Toro and the 24 seconds he has on Ayuso - though it will be a big ask.

Paul Seixas is on the podium as we speak - not for what he might have been expected to be there fore, but rather to collect the combativity award for his efforts fighting on after his crash.

But the man who headlines the podium ceremony is Luke Tuckwell, who just about retains his lead at the top of the GC. He’s well positioned going into tomorrow’s finale, too, with Jorgenson and Del Toro the only riders within one minute of him in the rankings. It’s still most likely that he’ll lose the jersey, but he’s certainly in a position where he stands a chance.

Thanks for joining us today! All sorts of stories are unfolding in this Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes, from Luke Tuckwell’s unlikely reign in the yellow jersey, to a setback in the otherwise indomitable rise of Paul Seixas, to potential last minute GC coup from any one of Isaac del Toro, Juan Ayuso and Matteo Jorgenson.

Everything is poised beautifully for a thrilling climax at tomorrow’s final stage, so be sure to follow along with all the action with us again then!