Updated June 14, 2026 03:50PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Isaac Del Toro is the standout from the Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes<\/a>, winning the final two stages plus the general classification, but an even younger rider has wowed with an even greater breakthrough ride.<\/p>\n The Australian Luke Tuckwell<\/a> is just 21 but finished second to Del Toro in what is\u2014incredibly\u2014his first professional season.<\/p>\n The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider was part of that team\u2019s Rookies continental squad last year and raced to second overall in the Giro d\u2019Italia Next Gen. That\u2019s a very solid performance, but what he has done this year is even more encouraging.<\/p>\n 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-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes and riding with class on the final climb vaulted him into the overall lead.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Tuckwell then came under serious attack on both Saturday and Sunday\u2019s summit finishes but rode more than solidly, taking 11th on stage 7 and 8th on stage 8.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cAm I actually?\u201d he asked, speaking to CyclingProNet<\/a>. \u201cOh 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\u2019s just a collective team effort this week. I can\u2019t describe it.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Fifth in Fl\u00e8che Ardennaise, sixth on a stage of the Giro Next Gen plus sixth overall in the Ronde de l\u2019Isard secured the attention of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, who gave him a slot with their development squad for 2025.<\/p>\n Tuckwell\u2019s Giro Next Gen runner-up slot was the standout result but so too leading the race up to the final stage.<\/p>\n \u201cLast year, I had the pink jersey of the Giro Next Gen and it was a really nice moment in my life,\u201d he said after Friday\u2019s stage in the Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes. \u201cSo to have the jersey in a big one week stage race, I don\u2019t really quite believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n He had particular motivation due to a long illness in his family.<\/p>\nDriven on by loss<\/h2>\n
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