‘Not my best performance’: Del Toro sends warning after Grand Colombier victory

Del Toro launched his winning move on the Grand Colombier with 4.2km to go, catching former UAE teammate Juan Ayuso with 1.7km remaining and riding clear to win the stage by 24 seconds. Ayuso took second, Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) third at 38 seconds, and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike) fourth. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) crossed the line 1:21 down after recovering from a heavy crash earlier in the day.

In the overall standings, Tuckwell holds the yellow jersey by 42 seconds over Jorgenson, with Del Toro third at 49 seconds and Ayuso fourth at 1:06. Seixas moved up a place to sixth at 1:54.

"That was the goal today, clearly," Del Toro said at the line in his flash interview. "Honestly, I want to try it after yesterday and how I feel."

"It's kind of hard for me to manage these long times, but I get used to it and I'm going better and better every race. It's not full of confidence, but I really want to try to take the win today," stated Del Toro.

The Mexican had set out to test himself against the climbers in the lead group, with Ayuso, Jorgenson and Johannessen all matching the early UAE attacks before he made his own move.

"I don't know. I think today was not my best performance, but I was up there."

"So I'm super happy to still arrive in good shape and keep going in this direction for sure. I'm still hungry, so it's something that keeps me alive for the next races."

The win is Del Toro's first professional victory in France. The Mexican had taken the UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico earlier in 2026 before his Itzulia crash, with the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes marking his return to racing ahead of his Tour de France debut in July.

"I didn't think about it. I'm really enjoying with this team all the situations that I have ahead and it's just crazy to be in this position. Sometimes, when they start to help me, it feels super special."

Del Toro went on to outline what he is chasing across the rest of the summer, with both the Dauphiné GC and a Tour de France stage already on the radar.

“The goal now is to win the GC. It was always the goal,” Del Toro said.

“First, I want to win the GC, and then another race in France in a few weeks. We will see how things go.”

That second objective is a clear reference to the Tour de France in July, where Del Toro is expected to play a key role in support of Tadej Pogačar while also looking for opportunities of his own.

Before then, the overall title at the Tour Auvergne Rhône Alpes will be decided on Sunday’s eighth and final stage. The 120.5 kilometre route from Beaufort to the Plateau de Solaison ends with an 11.3 kilometre climb averaging 9 percent, providing one final and decisive test for the general classification contenders.