'Am I actually? Oh my god' - Tuckwell stunned by Dauphiné podium finish

“Am I actually? Oh my god,” responded a delighted but shocked Luke Tuckwell (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) to the news that he had finished second overall in one of the most prestigious stage races in cycling on debut.

The 21-year-old Australian neo-pro had taken a monumental leap forward when he moved into the race lead of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes after finishing third on Stage 6 from the breakaway behind his teammate Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), who won the stage.

Tuckwell dug deep during his first day in yellow on Stage 7, finishing atop the Grand Colombier. By maintaining his race lead with just one stage remaining, the Australian found himself in an unlikely position and uncharted territory.

He held 42 seconds over Matteo Jorgenson, 49 seconds over Isaac del Toro, and 1:06 over Juan Ayuso, heading into a brutal final stage that featured over 4,000 metres of elevation gain and a summit finish atop the Plateau de Solaison.

Tuckwell admitted he wasn’t expecting to keep the jersey after Del Toro’s stellar performance on the Grand Colombier, and therefore, he didn’t panic when the Mexican went clear on the Plateau de Solaison with just under 9km remaining on the final stage.

Instead, he focused strictly on his own effort and received welcome and crucial support from his teammate Van Gils.

“Yeah. I just really, from the bottom, knew what pace I had to ride. And like, oh man, Maxim [Van Gils] saved me there," said Tuckwell. 

"Like, really, I think without Maxim, I would have been struggling so much. So yeah, I mean, it's just a collective team effort this week. Like, yeah, I can't describe it.”

Tuckwell knew that he held a healthy advantage over those in the podium fight, and this perspective helped him remain focused rather than becoming overawed by the occasion.

“Keep it steady. Try to maintain my time,” Tuckwell responded when asked what was going through his mind when Del Toro attacked.

“I knew I had a minute to [Juan] Ayuso, 40 seconds to [Matteo] Jorgenson. I mean, I wasn't too concerned about keeping the lead because I knew Isaac [del Toro] was so strong. So I was just trying to focus on trying to get the best GC result I could. And yeah, to only lose one spot, man... that's pretty incredible," said Tuckwell.

In the end, Tuckwell battled to eighth atop the brutal climb, 1:43 behind Del Toro, who claimed the yellow jersey. Meanwhile, Tuckwell's efforts were enough to secure second overall, 0:54 behind Del Toro, while Ayuso rounded out the podium in third. 

Despite his second-place finish coming as a surprise, the Australian has built on the climbing talent from the under-23 ranks that saw him finish second at the Giro d’Italia Next Gen in 2025. In April, Tuckwell also finished an impressive sixth overall at the Tour de Romandie while supporting teammate Florian Lipowitz to second.

“Yeah, I mean, I keep improving race on race without doing anything special. Just enjoying my time at home. No altitude camps, just being at home in a good mental space. And I think that's making the difference.”

And although there were plenty of indications of his talent, Tuckwell’s performance at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is a milestone that will take some time for the young rider to fully process.

When asked if he truly realised what he had accomplished over the week, Tuckwell concluded: “No, I don't think I have, actually. Like, not at all. So yeah, I think it'll take some time to sink in. Yeah, it's crazy. As a neo-pro, man, I could never expect this.”