Alex Baudin surprises the favorites and becomes the first leader of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 2026

The first stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 2026 left one of those victories that its protagonist will hardly forget. The Frenchman Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) completed a long breakaway to win solo in Saint-Ismier and became the first leader of the new stage of the historic French race.

 Baudin withstands the return of the favorites and takes the lead in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Baudin crossed the finish line after 146.2 kilometers between Vizille and Saint-Ismier with a time of 3:43:58, resisting the push from the favorites after launching his decisive attack on the last climb of the day.

The opening day featured a much more demanding route than usual for a first stage. Five categorized climbs and a final ascent located about twenty kilometers from the finish suggested a duel among the candidates for the general classification, but ultimately the victory smiled upon the breakaway.

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The EF Education-EasyPost rider was part of the day's successful breakaway alongside nine other riders and was the strongest when the road began to steepen. On the Côte de Rousset, the most demanding climb of the stage at 8.3 kilometers with a gradient of 7.6%, Baudin attacked his fellow escapees and crested solo with over a minute's advantage over the peloton.

Behind, the group of favorites never managed to organize an effective chase. UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Decathlon CMA CGM took on much of the work, but the gaps remained stable for much of the ascent.

In the decisive stretch, Kevin Vermaerke (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) tried to blow up the race with an attack from the main group, while Paul Seixas and Juan Ayuso also stayed alert in the final kilometers. However, none of the moves significantly reduced the Frenchman's lead.

Baudin reached the final kilometers with a sufficient margin to celebrate the most important victory of his professional career. In addition to the stage win and the lead, the French rider also secured the mountain jersey and the combativity award.

The battle for second place was resolved 32 seconds later. The young Belgian Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was the fastest of the chasing group to achieve the best performance of his career, while Léo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM) completed the stage podium.

Almeida and Van Aert struggle in the debut

Among the notable names in the general classification, the day left some interesting signals. João Almeida lost ground on the main climbs and was dropped from the peloton at several points during the stage, although he managed to return when the pace slowed.

Wout van Aert also faced difficulties on the most demanding climbs of the route. The Belgian, who is racing for the first time since his victory in Paris-Roubaix, lost contact with the main group on several occasions and was never able to enter the fight for victory.

In contrast, Paul Seixas, Juan Ayuso, Oscar Onley, Kévin Vauquelin, and Isaac del Toro passed the first major selection of the race without problems and remained among the main candidates for the general classification.

Top 10 Stage 1 Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

1. Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) - 3:43:58
2. Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech) +32”
3. Léo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM) +32”
4. Kevin Vermaerke (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +32”
5. Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ United) +32”
6. Ben Tulett (Visma | Lease a Bike) +32”
7. Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) +32”
8. Luke Tuckwell (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) +32”
9. Kévin Vauquelin (INEOS Grenadiers) +32”
10. Oscar Onley (INEOS Grenadiers) +32”