The final weekend of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes was marked by a battle for supremacy between two former teammates as Isaac del Toro and Juan Ayuso went head-to-head on both days in the high mountains.
Sunday’s closing stage to the Plateau de Solaison ended as Saturday’s slog up the Grand Colombier had, with Del Toro getting the better of former UAE man Ayuso and ascending to the overall victory.
Ayuso ended the race, a key warm-up for the Tour de France, 1:17 down on the Mexican, and he also stood on the final podium, albeit in third place behind Luke Tuckwell, the race’s surprise package, having gained three minutes and the yellow jersey in an earlier breakaway before battling to hold on.
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Ayuso was one of the men with a primary interest in taking that lead away from Tuckwell, but come the final day, it was Del Toro’s. He and his Lidl-Trek team tried their best, but they had no answer for their rival.
“When he went so far away, I was hoping what happened yesterday just the other way around,” Ayuso told CyclingPro about Del Toro’s attack with 8km to run.
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“He was just on another level today, and we have to just accept it. Skjelly [Mattias Skjelmose] rode an amazing pull for me, and I really tried to use all the other force of the team to my advantage, and Skjelly again did a great, great job sacrificing himself for me.
“Then I went, but then it was just that Isaac was on another level. This is sport, and it is what it is.”
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Ayuso was second at the line, having shed another minute to Del Toro. A day earlier, he attacked first before Del Toro countered, caught him, and then soloed away.
Lidl-Trek tried to put the pressure on for the final day, but Del Toro was unflappable. Still, third overall and a win courtesy of Quinn Simmons from the break on stage 4 represents a good week’s work for the team.
“I really try to give my best because the team did amazing. We controlled the whole day, and just the work of the guys today was impressive,” Ayuso said.
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“It was a really hard start. Julian [Bernard] got dropped, Lenny [Kämna] got dropped, and they all really fought to come back and to work for me, so that was just impressive. I’m super proud of how the team rode, and we showed we were the strongest team.
“We controlled everything with no help from anybody, and just to see also Toms [Skujinš] and Quinn passing these mountains, which are super tough. I was already suffering, and these guys were pulling. It was really impressive.”
Ayuso was pleased with his own result, this being his first race back after a challenging spring, which saw him forced to abandon Paris-Nice and Itzulia Basque Country due to a crash and an illness.
Now, focus turns to the Tour de France next month, where Ayuso will lead his own team for the first time – alongside Skjelmose – while Mads Pedersen will hunt for sprint victories.
“As I said, the road here was not super easy. Preparation was a bit more difficult than I would have hoped for, so finishing on the podium and feeling like every day I improved, and every day I was getting better. I’m happy, and I hope I can recover well from this and be ready for next month,” Ayuso said.
“I don’t really care,” he added when asked about his rivals. “I just focus on myself, focus with my teammates to get the best preparation possible. I think that’s what we did. The guys rode today in an amazing way.
“I think it was a really good ride to prepare for the Tour. Again, I’m not focused on my rivals, I’m focussed on myself and trying to help my teammates also improve. That’s what we’re gonna do in these next three weeks before the Tour.”
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Juan Ayuso – Interview at the finish – Stage 8 – Tour Auvergne Rhône-Alpes 2026 – YouTube
