GC and jerseys after Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 stage 4

Alex Baudin kept the yellow jersey at the Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 after stage 4, as Quinn Simmons continued the race’s run of breakaway success with victory in Montrond-les-Bains.

The 167.4km stage from Le Puy-en-Velay looked like one of the days where the sprinters might finally bring the race back together, but the breakaway survived by the narrowest of margins. Simmons won from the move ahead of Finn Fisher-Black and Mattéo Vercher, while the chasing group arrived just behind after a late pursuit led by the fast finishers.

For the general classification, the main picture stayed stable. Baudin remains in yellow for EF Education-EasyPost, with Kévin Vauquelin and Oscar Onley still closest for Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team. Matteo Jorgenson remains well placed for Team Visma | Lease a Bike after the stage 3 team time trial, while Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose sit just under a minute down before the race returns to more decisive climbing terrain.

Stage 5 from Saint-Chamond to Parc des Oiseaux – Villars-les-Dombes should give the sprint teams another opportunity, but the GC race is now close to its decisive phase. Stage 6 finishes at Crest-Voland, stage 7 goes to Grand Colombier, and stage 8 ends at Plateau de Solaison. The margins that look manageable after stage 4 could look very different by the end of the weekend.

For wider race context, see our Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 full route guide and how to watch Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 in the UK.

Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 general classification after stage 4

Baudin remains in control, but the race is still finely balanced. His advantage over Vauquelin and Onley is only 12 seconds, while Jorgenson sits 15 seconds back after Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s strong stage 3 performance.

The top 10 after stage 4 is:

1. Alex Baudin, EF Education-EasyPost, 13:35:13
2. Kévin Vauquelin, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, +0:12
3. Oscar Onley, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, +0:12
4. Matteo Jorgenson, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +0:15
5. Juan Ayuso, Lidl-Trek, +0:47
6. Mattias Skjelmose, Lidl-Trek, +0:47
7. Jørgen Nordhagen, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +0:50
8. Carlos Rodriguez, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, +0:57
9. Léo Bisiaux, Decathlon CMA CGM Team, +0:59
10. Paul Seixas, Decathlon CMA CGM Team, +1:00

The density behind Baudin is the key part of the GC picture. Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team have Vauquelin and Onley within 12 seconds, while Jorgenson is close enough to keep Team Visma | Lease a Bike firmly involved. Ayuso and Skjelmose have more time to recover, but Lidl-Trek still have two riders inside the top six before the climbs that should suit them better.

Seixas moving into the top 10 also gives Decathlon CMA CGM Team something to work with. The final weekend should be more suited to his climbing than the flat run-in to Montrond-les-Bains, and his one-minute deficit leaves him close enough to ride aggressively if the race opens up.

Yellow jersey: Alex Baudin

Baudin survived another awkward day in yellow. Stage 4 was not expected to produce major GC gaps, but the finale still carried risk because the breakaway held off the bunch and the run-in became fast and tense.

EF Education-EasyPost kept Baudin out of trouble, and he reached the finish without losing time to the main GC riders. That was the main objective on a day where the yellow jersey was more likely to be lost through a mistake than through a planned GC attack.

The bigger test is still ahead. Baudin has led the race well, but Crest-Voland, Grand Colombier and Plateau de Solaison will ask a different question. Those stages are not about surviving nervous finales. They will test climbing depth, team support and recovery after several days of racing.

For now, Baudin has done everything required. He leads by 12 seconds and has forced the rest of the GC field to chase him.

Photo Credit: A.S.O./Gaëtan Flamme

Green jersey: Nadav Raisberg

Nadav Raisberg continues to lead the points classification for NSN Cycling Team with 40 points. Raúl García Pierna sits second on 34 points, while Finn Fisher-Black and Jordan Jegat are level on 30 points after scoring from the stage 4 break.

The points standings after stage 4 are:

1. Nadav Raisberg, NSN Cycling Team, 40 points
2. Raúl García Pierna, Movistar Team, 34 points
3. Finn Fisher-Black, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, 30 points
4. Jordan Jegat, TotalEnergies, 30 points
5. Anthon Charmig, Uno-X Mobility, 25 points

This has not been a conventional sprinter-led points competition. Breakaway riders have shaped the standings, with stages 1, 2 and 4 all rewarding attackers, while stage 3 was a team time trial. Stage 5 may finally give the fast finishers a cleaner opportunity, but Raisberg has put himself in a strong position by scoring consistently across the opening half of the race.

Mountains jersey: Clément Braz Afonso

Clément Braz Afonso remains the mountains leader for Groupama-FDJ United on 17 points. Baudin is still close behind on 14 points, with Benjamin Thomas and Sergio Samitier also in the picture on 11 points.

The mountains standings after stage 4 are:

1. Clément Braz Afonso, Groupama-FDJ United, 17 points
2. Alex Baudin, EF Education-EasyPost, 14 points
3. Benjamin Thomas, Cofidis, 11 points
4. Sergio Samitier, Cofidis, 11 points
5. Jan Castellon, Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, 9 points

This classification could still change sharply from stage 6 onwards. The early climbs have created the first leaderboard, but the final three summit finishes should carry far more weight. Braz Afonso has the jersey for now, but the competition is still open if the climbers begin targeting points alongside GC moves.

Baudin’s second place in the mountains classification also underlines how much his stage 1 ride continues to shape the race. He leads overall, leads the young rider standings and remains close in the climbing competition.

White jersey: Alex Baudin

Baudin also remains the best young rider after stage 4. Because he is already wearing yellow, Kévin Vauquelin is expected to wear the white jersey on the road as the next eligible rider in the young rider classification.

The youth standings after stage 4 are:

1. Alex Baudin, EF Education-EasyPost, 13:35:13
2. Kévin Vauquelin, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, +0:12
3. Oscar Onley, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, +0:12
4. Juan Ayuso, Lidl-Trek, +0:47
5. Jørgen Nordhagen, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +0:50

This is more than a secondary jersey battle. The top five in the young rider standings are all inside the top seven overall, which means the white jersey fight is also central to the GC story. Baudin, Vauquelin, Onley, Ayuso and Nordhagen are all young riders, but they are also major players in the race for overall victory.

Team classification: Groupama-FDJ United

Groupama-FDJ United lead the team classification after stage 4, with an overall team time of 39:39:35. Their position reflects the depth they have shown across the first half of the race, with Braz Afonso also holding the mountains jersey.

The team classification may still shift once the race reaches the high mountains. Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team have multiple GC riders close to the front, Team Visma | Lease a Bike have Jorgenson and Nordhagen well placed, and Lidl-Trek still have Ayuso and Skjelmose inside the top 10. If the final weekend becomes selective, the team standings could tighten quickly.

What stage 4 means for the GC battle

Stage 4 did not rewrite the general classification, but it confirmed how tense the race is becoming. Baudin still leads, yet his advantage is small and the group of challengers behind him is strong. Vauquelin, Onley and Jorgenson are all within 15 seconds, which means one acceleration, one missed split or one difficult climb could change the race.

The stage also gave the GC riders one final day without major time gaps before the road hardens again. Stage 5 should suit the sprinters, but after that there is nowhere to hide. Crest-Voland, Grand Colombier and Plateau de Solaison will decide whether Baudin’s opening advantage can survive the proper climbing tests.

EF Education-EasyPost still have the jersey. Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team still have numbers. Team Visma | Lease a Bike still have Jorgenson close. Lidl-Trek still have two riders within a minute. Decathlon CMA CGM Team now have Seixas inside the top 10. The final weekend is set up for a GC fight that could move quickly.

Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 Stage 4 Result

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