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Del Toro Detonates on Solaison: UAE's Young Climber Steals Yellow on the Final Day
Isaac del Toro attacked solo on the Plateau de Solaison and reversed a 49-second deficit to take both the stage win and the overall title — leaving Tuckwell without yellow and Jorgenson without the podium he held all week.
By ZealZag TeamCycling the Beaufortain and Aravis: The French Alps Stage Nobody Markets
The stage-8 route of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes traces one of the best multi-climb cycling loops in the French Alps — from the Beaufort valley over the Col du Pré, the Bisanne, the Aravis, and up to the Plateau de Solaison. Most cyclists drive past this area heading somewhere more famous. That is their loss.
By ZealZag TeamTour Auvergne Stage 8: Four Climbs, 42 Seconds, One Plateau
The Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes closes on the Plateau de Solaison today — 120 kilometres, four Alpine climbs, and a 42-second gap between Luke Tuckwell's yellow jersey and Matteo Jorgenson. Isaac del Toro is 49 seconds back after winning Stage 7 on the Grand Colombier. The race ends here.
By ZealZag TeamClimbing the Grand Colombier: The Ain's Hardest Summit and the Bugey's Best Secret
The Grand Colombier sits at 1,501 metres in the Bugey limestone plateau of the Ain department — a summit that has terrorised Tour de France and Critérium du Dauphiné pelotons for decades, and one that visiting cyclists consistently underestimate because the Ain doesn't have the Alps' marketing budget. Here's how to ride it.
By ZealZag TeamTour Auvergne Stage 7: The Grand Colombier and the Race Before the Race
Stage 7 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes sends the peloton from La Bridoire to the Grand Colombier summit — 8.4 kilometres at 10.2 percent, a finish so steep it forces every rider within striking distance of Luke Tuckwell's yellow jersey to show their cards a day before the finale.
By ZealZag TeamCycling the Beaufortain: Col des Saisies, Crest-Voland, and Savoie's Quiet Alps
The Beaufortain massif sits between the Tarentaise and the Arly valley in Savoie — a block of mid-altitude Alpine terrain with long climbs, low traffic, and a cheese industry whose villages make the best possible intermediate stops. Today's Tour Auvergne stage finishes here. Here's how to ride the same roads.
By ZealZag TeamTour Auvergne Stage 6: The Mountains Open and the GC Clock Starts Running
Stage 6 of the 2026 Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes rolls into the Alps today — 182.3km from Saint-Vulbas to the ski station at Crest-Voland, the first mountain finish of the race and the first real test of Alex Baudin's yellow jersey lead against a field that includes Paul Seixas, Isaac del Toro, Juan Ayuso, and Matteo Jorgenson.
By ZealZag TeamRide the Dombes: Cycling the Ain Plateau Where Stage 5 Finishes
The Dombes plateau north of Lyon — where the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Stage 5 finishes — is flat, lake-dotted cycling country connecting Alpine climbing to the Loire foothills. Our guide covers the route, how to get there, where to stay, and why this overlooked corner of France is worth the detour.
By ZealZag TeamTour Auvergne 2026 Stage 5: The Sprint Day Van Aert Has Been Waiting For
Stage 5 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes delivers the race's only true sprint finish — 195.8km from Saint-Chamond to the Parc des Oiseaux at Villars-les-Dombes, with all 2,200m of climbing front-loaded and a clean, flat run-in from the last bend 3km out.
By ZealZag TeamCycling the Forez: Pierre-sur-Haute, Montrond, and the Volcanic Plateau's Quietest Edge
Between the Auvergne volcanoes and the Loire plain sits the Forez massif — a forgotten cycling region whose highest point reaches 1,634 metres, whose secondary roads carry almost no traffic, and whose Stage 4 finish town Montrond-les-Bains offers thermal recovery infrastructure that no alpine base can match.
By ZealZag TeamTwelve Seconds: Baudin and EF Roll Yellow Into Stage 4 at Montrond-les-Bains
Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) carries a twelve-second yellow jersey lead into Stage 4 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes today — a 167.5-kilometre transition stage from Le Puy-en-Velay into the Loire plain, with Vauquelin, Onley, and Jorgenson sitting just behind and Stage 5's first summit finish waiting tomorrow.
By ZealZag TeamCycling the Loire Roannais: The TTT Circuit and the Roads Beyond Perreux
The Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Stage 3 TTT runs a 28.4km circuit through the Loire Roannais — a stretch of rolling farmland and forested foothills between Roanne and Charlieu that rarely appears on any race route. A practical cycling guide to the area, from the TTT circuit itself to the Pilat Massif climbs one valley east.
By ZealZag TeamYellow on the Clock: Alex Baudin's EF Squad Faces the TTT at Perreux
Stage 3 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is a 28.4-kilometre team time trial circuit in the Loire Roannais — the first direct GC test of the race, a Tour de France dress rehearsal, and the day EF Education-EasyPost must defend Alex Baudin's thirty-two-second yellow jersey against Visma, UAE, INEOS, and Decathlon.
By ZealZag TeamCycling the Matheysine Plateau: Empty Roads, Big Climbs, and the Isère's Quietest Cycling Country
The Matheysine plateau and the Trièves valley south of Grenoble carry some of the most empty, climbing-rich roads in the French Alps. The Col du Festre, the Col du Noyer, and the lakes of Laffrey are a 250-kilometre weekend within ninety minutes of a major airport.
By ZealZag TeamSkjelmose Slips the Leash on the Matheysine: Stage 2 Shifts the Tour Auvergne's GC Already
Mattias Skjelmose attacked from a six-rider move on the Col du Festre and held the line into La Mure to win Stage 2 of the 2026 Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Paul Seixas kept the yellow jersey. Isaac del Toro lost 38 seconds. The race has begun.
By ZealZag TeamCycling Grenoble: Three Massifs, One City, and the Roads the Tour Auvergne Uses Every June
Grenoble sits at the bottom of the Vercors, the Chartreuse, and the Belledonne — three mountain massifs within 20 minutes of the city centre. This week it's the basecamp for the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. For cyclists, it is the best-positioned Alpine training base in France. A practical guide to where to ride, when to go, and how to get there.
By ZealZag TeamThe Old Race Opens Under a New Name: Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Stage 1 Sends the Tour de France Field Into the Chartreuse
The renamed Critérium du Dauphiné opens in Vizille today with an unprecedented opening-stage ambition — five categorised climbs and 3,000 metres of climbing over 146 kilometres into Saint-Ismier — and a startlist that includes Paul Seixas, Isaac Del Toro, Wout van Aert, and Juan Ayuso, all using Stage 1 to begin telling the Tour de France story four weeks early.
By ZealZag Team
Dauphine 2026: Seixas, Van Aert and the Alps That Decide Tour de France
The Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes — cycling's definitive Tour de France rehearsal — begins Sunday in Vizille. Paul Seixas and Wout van Aert lead a start list that will answer every question the July race is asking.
By ZealZag Team
Critérium du Dauphiné 2026: Seixas, Del Toro and Van Aert Battle for Solaison
Paul Seixas leads the next generation into the renamed Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (June 7–14) — a wide-open GC battle over the Grand Colombier and Plateau de Solaison that will crown a Tour de France contender.
By ZealZag Team