Van Gils claims Auvergne Tour stage as Tuckwell moves into overall lead

Sawt Falasteen - Van Gils claims Auvergne Tour stage as Tuckwell moves into overall lead

Van Gils claims Auvergne Tour stage as Tuckwell moves into overall lead / Photo: Anne-Christine POUJOULAT - AFP

Van Gils claims Auvergne Tour stage as Tuckwell moves into overall lead

SPORTS 12.06.2026

Belgian Maxim Van Gils won the mountainous sixth stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes on Friday as his Australian teammate Luke Tuckwell finished third and took the leader's yellow and blue jersey.

Text size:

The Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe pair emerged from a 60-man breakaway on the final steep climb to the finish in Crest Voland alongside Norwegian Tobias Johannessen.

Tuckwell, 21, pushed the pace, knowing that he would take the leader's jersey, while Van Gils pipped Johannessen in the sprint finish to claim the stage honours at the end of a 182km slog from Saint Vulbas in southeastern France.

Behind the stage winner, teenage French prodigy Paul Seixas and Mexican Isaac Del Toro gained time on their most dangerous rivals in the overall standings.

They came home in 20th and 21st places, 3min 15sec after the stage winner, with Seixas, 19, moving up to seventh overall, 3:06 behind Tuckwell.

Del Toro, 22, climbed to 10th at 3:22.

American Matteo Jorgenson lost 13sec to the two young favourites for the final victory, but is the best-placed of the overall contenders at 2:34 in fourth.

Lidl-Trek pair Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose lost 22sec to Seixas and Del Toro but sit between them in eighth and ninth overall.

It was a terrible day for Netcompany-Ineos pair Oscar Onley and Kevin Vauquelin

Onley crashed on the short descent between the day's final two climbs and fell completely out of contention, while Vauquelin gave up 1:32 to Seixas and Del Toro as he finished alongside Alex Baudin, who had started the day in the yellow and blue jersey.

The French pair fell to 14th and 15th overall.

D.Qudsi--SF-PST

NGG	0.83%	77.12	$
RBGPF	0.07%	66.83	$
RIO	-0.51%	94.3	$
AZN	-0.55%	158.33	$
GSK	0.9%	46.92	$
BCE	0.42%	18.86	$
RELX	1.12%	36.54	$
CMSC	-1.68%	19.62	$
RYCEF	0.43%	18.55	$
BTI	0.22%	55.62	$
CMSD	-1.88%	19.67	$
JRI	0.19%	10.64	$
VOD	-1.1%	15.39	$
BCC	-0.22%	73.41	$
BP	1.03%	46.73	$

Sawt Falasteen - Van Gils claims Auvergne Tour stage as Tuckwell moves into overall lead

Van Gils claims Auvergne Tour stage as Tuckwell moves into overall lead

Featured

Fiji appoint ex-Springboks boss White as coach ahead of World Cup

Allen rushes Bills to thrilling 37-34 win over Rams

Infantino could pull off 'Houdini' act as critics struggle for candidate

Dominant Australia wary of Pacific threat at Rugby League World Cup