Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Monday, June 8, 2026
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary | Our YouTube page
There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more. - Lord Byron
Les Woodland's book Tour de France: The Inside Story - Making the World's Greatest Bicycle Race is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- June 7 - 14: Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Upcoming racing:
- June 10: Circuit Franco-Belge
Latest completed racing:
- June 7: Brussels Cycling Classic
- June 1 - 5: Ethias-Tour de Wallone
- May 8 - 31: Giro d'Italia
- May 28 - 31:
Tour of Norway - May 20 - 24: 4 Jours de Dunkerque
- May 23: Veenendaal - Veenendaal
- May 19: Classique Dunkerque
- May 17: Rund um Köln
- May 16: Tour du Finistère
- May 10: Tro-Bro Léon
- April 26 - May 3: Tour of Turkey
- April 28 - May 3: Tour de Romandie
- May 1: Eschborn-Frankfurt
Content continues below the ads
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner and GC leader Alex Baudin's Team EF Education-EasyPost:
EF Education-EasyPost came into the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes hunting stage wins, and we struck gold on stage 1 from Vizille to Saint-Ismier with Frenchman Alex Baudin winning from the breakaway to take an incredible victory.
Alex was initially part of a nine-rider group, alongside teammate Alastair MacKellar, that formed early on the stage, and the EF Education-EasyPost pair contributed to the move before Alex kicked clear with a daring attack 28.5km from the finish.
The Côte de Rousset proved to be the perfect launchpad for Alex as he not only distanced his remaining breakaway companions but solidified his position as the leader on the road.
Cresting the top of the climb with a minute over the next rider, Alex maintained and even managed to extend his lead before the final uphill section, but with the GC riders breathing down his neck, Alex had to fully commit with his gutsy attack.
Coming into the final 1,500m, the peloton was closing, but Alex hung on to take a memorable win for him and his EF Education-EasyPost teammates, with the victory also putting Alex into the leader’s jersey. After a super consistent spring campaign, this was the perfect way for Alex and the team to start their build-up towards next month's Tour de France.
Alex Baudin sails across the finish line alone. Sirotti photo
An emotional and jubilant Alex was hugged by his teammates at the finish after winning by a clear 32 seconds over the chase group.
“It’s unbelievable. I don’t think I’ve realized it already. I only believed it was done with 500m to go. I don’t know what to say. It’s crazy. I looked at this stage before, and I had amazing legs. I didn’t have the confidence at the start because I had food poisoning, but I hoped and expected, and I came here well prepared. All the stars aligned for me today,” Alex said at the finish.
“I’m close to home, and my family is here. It’s unbelievable. This morning my girlfriend put a sticker of my cat on my bike. Maybe she already knew I’d win. I can’t describe the feeling just yet. It’s one hour from my home. I hope I can carry this form into the Tour de France and into July,” he added. Congrats to Alex on this monumental win, and we can’t wait to see you in yellow on stage 2.
Here's the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes report from fourth-place Kevin Vermaerke's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:
Kevin Vermaerke opened his Tour Auvergne – Rhone Alpes campaign with a strong fourth-place finish on the opening stage, while teammate Isaac Del Toro safely crossed the line in the favourites group to remain level on time with the race’s main general classification contenders.
The field sprint for second place. Kevin Vermarke is in the black and white UAE Team Emirates-XRG jersey. Sirotti photo
The first stage of the newly rebranded Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes covered 146km from Vizille to Saint-Ismier and featured five classified climbs, providing an early test for the GC hopefuls. The day was ultimately won by French rider Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost), the sole survivor of the early breakaway, who held off the peloton after attacking on the Côte de Rousset in the final kilometres.
Behind the stage winner, the race settled into a tactical battle among the favourites. Despite several accelerations on the final climbs, the main contenders largely marked one another, with Del Toro finishing safely alongside rivals including Paul Seixas, Juan Ayuso and Matteo Jorgenson without conceding any time in the overall classification.
Vermaerke was active throughout the decisive phase of the race and remained near the front as the peloton split over the closing climbs. The American produced a strong effort in the uphill sprint from the reduced group to finish fourth on the stage, continuing his consistent run of performances in support of the team’s ambitions.
Kevin Vermaerke:
“I think it was a good stage for us overall. Isaac felt good and I was feeling strong too, so we decided to try something in the final. We were in a strong position on the last climb and I took advantage of a moment where the race stalled so I jumped.
It was a good safe stage one – a nice way to get back into the racing after a break. I think maybe some people expected fireworks on the last climb but it didn’t really pan out like that. There are some pretty tough stages coming up in the week ahead and I think we’re in good shape for them. ”
Content continues below the ads
Here's the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes report from fifth-place Rudy Molard's Team Groupama-FDJ United:
Groupama-FDJ United Cycling Team made a nice start to the Tour Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes, the new name for the Critérium du Dauphiné. On a demanding opening stage to Saint-Ismier, Clément Braz Afonso joined the day’s breakaway and was only caught on the final climb of the race. In the final, Rudy Molard made his way into a chasing group that contested second place behind Axel Baudin. The experienced Frenchman ultimately secured a solid fifth-place finish.
The peloton rolls through a village in stage one. Sirotti photo
A particularly challenging opening stage awaited the Tour Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes peloton around Grenoble on Sunday. Riders faced no fewer than 3,200 metres of elevation gain and five categorized climbs, including the Côte de Rousset (8.3 km at 7.5%), located just twenty kilometres from the finish. On paper, the breakaway therefore appeared to have a genuine chance of succeeding on day 1. “We knew the favorites wouldn’t allow the breakaway to gain a four-minute advantage,” explained Stéphane Goubert. “At the same time, we felt they wouldn’t necessarily want to take the leader’s jersey and assume responsibility for controlling the race all week. We therefore hoped the breakaway could make it all the way, and we had to seize that opportunity. Clément [Braz Afonso], Rudy, Quentin, Kevin, and Max were all tasked with getting into the move. Only Guillaume and Clément [Berthet] were supposed to stay in the peloton and follow the pace as long as possible. The others were all active from the start, they all tried, and in the end Clément got away in a strong group.”
After around twenty minutes of fighting on an uphill section, Clément Braz Afonso broke clear as part of a quartet before the breakaway expanded to include six more riders.
The peloton, however, did not immediately ease off, and the fugitives had to keep pushing for another half hour before establishing a two-minute lead. Shortly after the halfway point, during the succession of the Côte de Quaix-en-Chartreuse and the Col de Vence, the pace increased at the front due to pressure from the peloton. Only three riders managed to emerge from this section still in the lead: Alex Baudin, George Bennett, and… Clément Braz Afonso.
The Groupama-FDJ United rider even came over the Col de Vence first, but the trio’s advantage had shrunk to barely one minute before the final climb, the Côte du Rousset. Baudin therefore accelerated on the first slopes, and his remaining companions were unable to follow. “He was simply one level above,” said Stéphane. “But as always, Clément was exemplary. He raced very well, there is absolutely nothing to complain about, and if he keeps racing like this, his day will come. He deserves congratulations for his ride.”
About two kilometres from the summit, Clément Braz Afonso was caught by a reduced peloton of around thirty riders that still included Clément Berthet, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet, Rudy Molard, and Quentin Pacher. As they approached the top, however, both Pacher and the day’s breakaway rider were unable to stay with the favorites.
Up front, Axel Baudin still held more than a minute’s advantage after the descent. Behind him, the Groupama-FDJ United riders, well positioned near the front of the "peloton", remained aggressive. “That was our mindset since kilometer zero, and it’s a very good sign,” Stéphane said. “Whenever we are in a position to do so, we have to try to maximize our chances of achieving the best possible result. Clément [Berthet] was the first to attack after the descent, then Rudy counterattacked and managed to get away with a small group.”
In a chasing group that notably included Kevin Vauquelin and Oscar Onley, the Groupama-FDJ United puncher remained relatively discreet over the final five kilometres before fully committing in the sprint for second place. “Rudy finished fifth,” Stéphane added. “He might perhaps have done a little better in the sprint, but it was still a very good day. Guillaume is improving, Clément is up there as well, and that’s encouraging. We’re starting the week well!” While Rudy Molard finished 32 seconds behind the stage winner, the team’s two leaders crossed the line with the other favorites, 44 seconds down, with Clément Berthet taking 15th place.
On Monday, the attackers could once again have an opportunity on the route to Le Puy-en-Velay, a course featuring more than 3,500 meters of climbing.
Sixth-place Ben Tulett's Team Visma | Lease a Bike posted this Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes report:
Team Visma | Lease a Bike made a strong impression on the opening stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. On the day’s key climb, the team was active at the front of the race in support of leader Matteo Jorgenson, who finished in the group of favourites, while Ben Tulett sprinted to a sixth-place finish.
In the opening stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, which immediately proved to be demanding, the Dutch squad quickly moved to the front of the race. In support of leader Jorgenson, who was making his return to the peloton today, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, together with the other general classification teams, took control of the bunch.
Stage one gets started. Sirotti photo
On the day’s decisive climb, the Côte de Rousset, the team made a strong impression. Thanks to the hard work of Bruno Armirail, the peloton was quickly reduced, with a small group heading towards the final kilometres. While Alex Baudin took the win from the early breakaway, Tulett sprinted to sixth place. Jorgenson finished in the group of favourites.
“I expected a bigger fight for the general classification,” Jorgenson reflected afterwards. “On the final climb, as a team we took control of the peloton well. In the closing kilometres it became hectic due to multiple attacks, but I had expected that. It was a good day to return to racing. I look back on today with a good feeling.”
Team director Maarten Wynants also shared his thoughts after the stage. “It was a very hard day. From the start, the road went uphill straight away and the pace was high. Today, it was to be expected that it would mainly be a day for the better climbers, and that is how it played out. As a team, we can look back on a good day.”
Content continues below the ads
Here's the report from Team Netcompany INEOS:
A late attack on the run to the finish saw Kevin Vauquelin and Oscar Onley take some key early seconds on the opening stage of Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes.
With lone escapee Alex Baudin (EF Education - Easypost) out front solo, an acceleration from Vauquelin with six kilometres to go helped drag clear a group of 10 contenders behind.
Quickly joined by Onley, the pair would finish ninth and 10th respectively at the finish in Saint-Ismier, 12 seconds ahead of the next chasing group.
Alex Baudin went clear on the day's final climb. ASO photo.
The peloton had already been thinned out significantly across a short, sharp day of climbing. Carlos Rodriguez was also present in the GC group of the top of the day's final climb, the Cote de Rousset, and finished in the second group alongside the likes of Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM).
Much of the stage was a battle of positioning in the bunch over a barrage of climbs and descents, with more climbing on the menu for Monday's second stage.
And here's the Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes report from Valentin Paret-Peintre's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Rebranded as the Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes from this year, the eight-day race got underway on Sunday with a brutal opening day, something never before seen in the modern history of the event won by the likes of Jacques Anquetil, Raymond Poulidor, Luis Ocaña, and Eddy Merckx.
The five classified climbs and more than 3000 meters of elevation made for a stern test for the GC men, creating the first gaps of what promises to be an exciting 78th edition. The victory and yellow jersey went to Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost), the lone survivor of the original breakaway, who managed to hold off the chasers on the last descent.
Valentin Paret-Peintre having a very good day at the end of 2025 Tour de France stage 16, finishing atop Mt. Ventoux. That's Ben Healy just behind him. Sirotti photo
Valentin Paret-Peintre, who made his first appearance since the Tour de Romandie, was well-positioned the entire time throughout the stage, and concluded it with the favorites’ group, which came home around 40 seconds behind the winner. Naturally, the Frenchman is now Soudal Quick-Step’s best placed rider on the overall standings ahead of the longest stage of the week, 235 kilometers from Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux to Le Puy-en-Velay.