Cyclist Isaac Del Toro in UAE kit rides uphill during Tour Auvergne Rhône Alpes Etape 7 at Grand Colombier.

'I just tried to be smart and wait until the last moment', Del Toro wins Grand Colombier summit as Ayuso rues early attack and bloodied Seixas fights back

Isaac del Toro timed his move to perfection on the Grand Colombier, while Juan Ayuso admitted he "threw away the win." Behind them, Paul Seixas crashed at 70km/h during neutralisation and still limited his losses to 1:21.

By Tim Bonville-Ginn · · 5 min read

Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates XRG) won stage 7 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes on the Grand Colombier, catching and dropping Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) on the final steep ramps of an 8.4km climb averaging 10.2%. Ayuso finished 24 seconds back, Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) was third at 38 seconds, and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike) crossed the line together at 41 seconds.

Luke Tuckwell (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), who started the day in yellow, conceded 2:33 but retained the race lead by 42 seconds over Jorgenson. The 133.6km stage from La Bridoire featured 3,820m of climbing, with the Grand Colombier's opening 4km the most punishing stretch: gradients of 10.6%, 10.8%, 12.7% and 14.9% before any flattening.

Results

La Bridoire – Grand Colombier • Jun 13 • 133.6km

Velora
PosRiderTeamTime
🥇
MX flagIsaac del Toro Romero
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG3:41:41
🥈
ES flagJuan Ayuso Pesquera
LIDL-TREK+0:24
🥉
NO flagTobias Halland Johannessen
UNO-X MOBILITY+0:38
4
US flagMatteo Jorgenson
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+0:41
5
BE flagCian Uijtdebroeks
MOVISTAR TEAM+0:41
6
DK flagMattias Skjelmose Jennow Jensen
LIDL-TREK+1:17
7
FR flagPaul Seixas
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+1:21
8
ES flagCristian Rodriguez Martin
XDS ASTANA TEAM+2:29
9
ES flagJose Felix Parra Cuerda
CAJA RURAL-SEGUROS RGA+2:31
10
ES flagJan Castellon Ribalta
CAJA RURAL-SEGUROS RGA+2:33
11
AU flagLuke Tuckwell
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+2:33
12
FR flagLéo Bisiaux
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+2:56
13
DE flagLennart Jasch
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+3:07
14
GB flagBen Tulett
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+3:18
15
FR flagAlex Baudin
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+4:31
16
FR flagJordan Jegat
TOTALENERGIES+4:31
17
FR flagGuillaume Martin Guyonnet
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+4:31
18
FR flagKévin Vauquelin
NETCOMPANY INEOS+5:02
19
BE flagLars Craps
LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ+6:21
20
DE flagGeorg Steinhauser
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+6:25
21
FR flagSam Maisonobe
COFIDIS+6:38
22
FR flagClément Berthet
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+7:03
23
BE flagRamses Debruyne
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+7:18
24
US flagKevin Vermaerke
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+8:35
25
ES flagPablo Torres Arias
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+9:51
26
IT flagSimone Velasco
XDS ASTANA TEAM+9:51
27
CO flagHarold Alfonso Tejada Canacue
XDS ASTANA TEAM+9:51
28
FR flagRudy Molard
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+10:21
29
CH flagYannis Voisard
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+12:09
30
DK flagAndreas Lorentz Kron
UNO-X MOBILITY+12:39
31
NO flagTorstein Træen
UNO-X MOBILITY+12:39
32
DE flagLennard Kämna
LIDL-TREK+12:39
33
FR flagMathis le Berre
TOTALENERGIES+12:39
34
ES flagCarlos Verona Quintanilla
LIDL-TREK+14:58
35
FR flagValentin Paret Peintre
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+15:49
36
NZ flagGeorge Bennett
NSN CYCLING TEAM+15:49
37
BE flagVlad van Mechelen
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+15:49
38
ES flagCarlos Rodriguez Cano
NETCOMPANY INEOS+17:23
39
BE flagLaurens de Plus
NETCOMPANY INEOS+17:23
40
US flagQuinn Simmons
LIDL-TREK+17:23
41
DE flagMichel Heßmann
MOVISTAR TEAM+18:24
42
BE flagRobbe Dhondt
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+18:24
43
FR flagBruno Armirail
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+21:02
44
FR flagPavel Sivakov
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+21:02
45
CA flagHugo Houle
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+21:02
46
FR flagMathieu Burgaudeau
TOTALENERGIES+21:02
47
ES flagSergio Samitier Samitier
COFIDIS+22:00
48
FR flagMatteo Vercher
TOTALENERGIES+22:22
49
LV flagToms Skujins
LIDL-TREK+25:07
50
US flagSean Quinn
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+25:07
51
BE flagMaxim van Gils
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+25:47
52
BE flagGianni Vermeersch
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+25:47
53
ES flagJoan Bou Company
CAJA RURAL-SEGUROS RGA+25:47
54
ES flagPello Bilbao Lopez de Armentia
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+25:47
55
FR flagGeoffrey Bouchard
TOTALENERGIES+28:06
56
FR flagNicolas Prodhomme
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+28:06
57
FR flagAurélien Paret Peintre
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+28:06
58
CH flagRoland Thalmann
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+28:06
59
FR flagNicolas Breuillard
TOTALENERGIES+28:06
60
FR flagQuentin Pacher
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+28:06
61
CH flagRobin Donzé
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+28:06
62
IT flagLorenzo Fortunato
XDS ASTANA TEAM+28:06
63
FR flagClément Braz Afonso
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+28:06
64
NO flagAnders Skaarseth
UNO-X MOBILITY+28:06
65
ES flagRaul Garcia Pierna
MOVISTAR TEAM+30:17
66
CH flagStefan Bissegger
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+33:23
67
NO flagMartin Bugge
UNO-X MOBILITY+33:23
68
FR flagMaxime Decomble
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+33:23
69
SE flagJacob Eriksson
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+33:23
70
DK flagAnthon Charmig
UNO-X MOBILITY+33:23
71
DE flagFelix Engelhardt
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+33:23
72
FR flagValentin Ferron
COFIDIS+33:23
73
IT flagAlessandro Covi
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+33:23
74
FR flagBaptiste Veistroffer
LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ+33:23
75
ES flagSergi Darder Gari
CAJA RURAL-SEGUROS RGA+33:23
76
BE flagMauri Vansevenant
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+33:23
77
BE flagVito Braet
LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ+33:23
78
SK flagMartin Svrček
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+33:23
79
FR flagHenri François Renard Haquin
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+33:23
80
GB flagCallum Thornley
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+33:23
81
FR flagDorian Godon
NETCOMPANY INEOS+33:23
82
DE flagNikias Arndt
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+33:23
83
DE flagGeorg Zimmermann
LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ+33:23
84
GB flagMax Walker
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+33:23
85
GB flagJames Alexander Knox
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+33:23
86
AU flagMatthew Fox
LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ+33:23
87
AU flagLuke Durbridge
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+33:33
88
FR flagJulien Bernard
LIDL-TREK+33:46
89
FR flagBenoit Cosnefroy
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+34:16
90
FR flagThibault Guernalec
TOTALENERGIES+34:16
91
AU flagAlastair Mackellar
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+34:27
92
IT flagEdoardo Affini
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+35:00
93
IT flagMatteo Trentin
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+35:00
94
DE flagJasha Sütterlin
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+35:00
95
CO flagSantiago Buitrago Sanchez
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+35:17
96
DE flagHenri Uhlig
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+35:26
97
FR flagHugo Hofstetter
NSN CYCLING TEAM+35:32
98
IL flagNadav Raisberg
NSN CYCLING TEAM+35:36
99
BE flagLennert Belmans
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+35:53
100
DE flagPhil Bauhaus
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+36:22
101
GB flagEthan Edward Hayter
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+36:29
102
AU flagLucas Plapp
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+36:29
103
AT flagMichael Gogl
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+36:29
104
FR flagBryan Coquard
COFIDIS+37:29
105
FR flagBenjamin Thomas
COFIDIS+37:29
106
ES flagAlex Diaz Alvarez
CAJA RURAL-SEGUROS RGA+37:50

Del Toro's patience, Ayuso's regret

Ayuso played his card early and launched clear almost right at the bottom of the climb and managed to hold off everyone except Del Toro. After the stage, the Spanish rider voiced his frustration after a tactical miscalculation.

"I'm just disappointed because I went obviously too far out, too early, and I threw away the win," Ayuso said in an interview with Cycling Pro Net. "My teammates deserved it today." Asked why he launched when he did, he said: "Because I'm stupid. No, I mean the pace was not super hard and then it was the hardest part and I thought, okay, on the wheel I'm not going to save much."

He showed he had the legs on the day and rode admirably after getting his teammates to set up the attack, and knew he had the legs. "That's why it's a bit hard, because I did have the legs today. My team rode amazing. They put me where I had to be and controlled all day."

Meanwhile, behind Ayuso's acceleration, Del Toro sat and waited before kicking on the final parts of the first steep section of the climb. He dropped all his remaining rivals and then set off after Ayuso. The Mexican champion took time to get energy back in the legs over a flatter part before pushing again as the slopes rose again. He caught Ayuso, attacked him and dropped him in a swift move. "I just tried to be smart and don't waste energy and try to do the move in the right moment," Del Toro said. "Sometimes you can regret, so I wait until the last moment."

Del Toro, who said earlier in the week he was not yet at 100%, framed the win as confirmation he is building towards the Tour de France. "It gives me some peace for my work in the Tour. I think I'm going in the right way."

Heat shapes the climb

Further back in the stage, Johannessen fought back from a bad day on stage 1 in the race to put in a superb ride and take third place despite struggling in the heat. "It was so hard and so warm," he said. "If you could manage the heat the best then you would have the best chance to do a good climb. I feel like I'm better and better in the heat."

Peloton of cyclists rides single file up a mountain road during Tour Auvergne Rhône Alpes Etape 7Photo: Gaetan Flamme

The yellow jersey of Tuckwell lost 2:33 to Del Toro but managed to hold onto the jersey by 42 seconds over Jorgenson after limiting losses in a very mature and measured ride. "I just tried to ride on a tempo that I could do the whole way," he said. "I was struggling quite a lot in the middle few kilometres actually. I was thinking, 'Oh, this is going to be close.' But then once we came out with about 2km to go, I started to find my legs a little bit more and basically just went as hard as I could to the finish."

Kévin Vauquelin (Netcompany-INEOS), who finished 18th at 5:02, was among the first to attack but paid for the effort. "I went into the red," he said. "I had something like heat stroke. I took time to come back and after that I knew I wasn't at 100%. My heart was blocked and so were my legs."

Seixas crashes, fights back

Cyclists sprint uphill in Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Etape 7 on the road to La Bridoire / Grand ColombierPhoto: Gaetan Flamme

Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM) crashed during a neutralised section caused by gravel on the road, sliding at around 70km/h and sustaining heavy abrasions. He was visibly bloodied on the final climb, with blood staining across his jersey, but fought back to finish seventh at 1:21.

"I misjudged a corner. I wanted to take the outside, I thought the rider wasn't coming fast enough, but I arrived much too fast," Seixas said. "I flew through the air. I slid like a toboggan on the road for 20, 30 metres. On dry tarmac, it doesn't feel good."

He said the worst damage was to his hands, which blistered despite wearing gloves, making it difficult to grip the handlebars or brake late in technical descents. His teammate Léo Bisiaux was the last rider to work for him on the final climb, his efforts brought Seixas back into the yellow jersey group before the final ascent.

"I started four minutes back. At that point I thought the race was over, I could go home," Seixas said. "But when you see all these guys sacrificing for you, you can't let them down. Today I didn't do it for me. I did it for the whole team."

Seixas said he intended to start stage 8. He holds the combativity prize but now sits further from the overall lead, with Tuckwell holding a 42-second advantage over Jorgenson heading into the final days.

Tim Bonville-Ginn headshot

Tim Bonville-Ginn

Pro cycling contributor

Tim Bonville-Ginn is a freelance writer who has worked in cycling for well over a decade with his articles being featured across publications such as Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Cyclist, Rouleur, Eurosport, Road cc, Domestique, and more.

As well as writing, Tim has worked as a social media and press manager for professional teams Human Powered Health, Global 6, and Saint Piran across Europe as well as commentating on races such as the African Continental Championships, Tour de Feminin and multiple rounds of the British road and circuit series for Golazo and Monument Cycling.

Expertise:Racing