Ten days ago, a lot of us had a very different idea of how the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes was going to go. With so many of the big Tour de France favourites not there, and wonderkid Paul Seixas lining up to continue his whirlwind season, it seemed like he was a shoo-in for the podium, and the other Tour hopefuls would show their levels behind him.
But that's not what happened. Seixas left the race bruised and battered in a team car, a breakthrough rider finished second, and Tadej Pogačar's super domestique, Isaac del Toro, won the thing. Only one Tour leader landed on the podium – Juan Ayuso – and for most, the race probably did more damage to their standings than good.
