The big breakthrough of the Dauphiné: Tuckwell has huge promise

Isaac Del Toro is the standout from the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, winning the final two stages plus the general classification, but an even younger rider has wowed with an even greater breakthrough ride.

The Australian Luke Tuckwell is just 21 but finished second to Del Toro in what is—incredibly—his first professional season.

The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider was part of that team’s Rookies continental squad last year and raced to second overall in the Giro d’Italia Next Gen. That’s a very solid performance, but what he has done this year is even more encouraging.

Placing sixth overall in the Tour de Romandie months after turning pro is a big feat. But infiltrating the crucial 60 rider break on stage six of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and riding with class on the final climb vaulted him into the overall lead.

Some may see that as a lucky performance, picking exactly the right move to stay away, but finishing third on the stage from such a huge selection is down to head and legs, not chance.

Tuckwell then came under serious attack on both Saturday and Sunday’s summit finishes but rode more than solidly, taking 11th on stage 7 and 8th on stage 8.

The quality of the latter performance is reflected in the fact that he raced to the line Sunday just ahead of Cian Uijtdebroeks (Movistar Team) and US star Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), two accomplished professionals.

Tuckwell showed huge determination in his defense of the yellow jersey, and felt a mixture of shock and relief when he was told that he had finished second overall.

“Am I actually?” he asked, speaking to CyclingProNet. “Oh my God. I just really, from the bottom, knew what pace I had to ride. Maxim [Van Gils] saved me there. Really, I think without Maxim I would have been struggling so much. So it’s just a collective team effort this week. I can’t describe it.”

Driven on by loss

Hailing from Orange in New South Wales, Tuckwell took up the sport when he was eight years old. He raced to top ten finishes in the Australian road race and time trial championships as a junior and was fourth in the junior road race the following year while with the InForm TMX MAKE team.

He guested with Trinity Racing the following year and secured a contract for 2024 when he finished sixth on a stage and tenth overall in the Tour of Bright.

Fifth in Flèche Ardennaise, sixth on a stage of the Giro Next Gen plus sixth overall in the Ronde de l’Isard secured the attention of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, who gave him a slot with their development squad for 2025.

Tuckwell’s Giro Next Gen runner-up slot was the standout result but so too leading the race up to the final stage.

“Last year, I had the pink jersey of the Giro Next Gen and it was a really nice moment in my life,” he said after Friday’s stage in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. “So to have the jersey in a big one week stage race, I don’t really quite believe it.”

He had particular motivation due to a long illness in his family.

“All day, I was thinking of my little sister, who died in September last year,” he said. “I really wanted to do it for her today. Those last few kilometres, I was really suffering, but thinking of her. This yellow jersey is in honour of her.”

‘I keep improving race on race’

Tuckwell began Saturday’s penultimate stage 2:34 ahead of Matteo Jorgenson, the best of the GC riders.

He faced an all-out assault by the big names but, riding with courage and class, managed to cling onto yellow. Sunday was certain to be trickier: he had just 42 seconds over Jorgenson and 49 seconds on Del Toro and, with just two teammates left on the Red Bull squad, would be very exposed.

That stacked the odds against him but he fought all the way to the end, pulling off a stunning runner-up slot.

Does he realize what he had achieved this week?

“No, I don’t think I have, actually,” he said at the finish. “Not at all. So I think it will take some time to sink in.”

It will, but he is likely to come back even stronger afterwards.

Tuckwell has shown steady progression this year, using the efforts of the Santos Tour Down Under, the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya and Itzulia Basque Country to build his strength and experience and to enable him to go on to greater heights this week.

If that momentum continues his scheduled grand tour debut in the Vuelta a España could go very well.

The most encouraging thing for the future is that he and the team haven’t gone to any extreme lengths to try to bring him on.

“I keep improving race on race without doing anything special,” he said. “Just enjoying my time at home, no altitude camps, just being at home in a good mental state. And I think that is making the difference.”

It is, but when those altitude camps are finally introduced, he could and should be even better.