Alex Baudin is the first leader of the Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 after winning stage 1 from Vizille to Saint-Ismier. The EF Education-EasyPost rider survived from the breakaway, attacked on the Côte de Rousset and held off the reduced chase behind to take both the stage victory and the yellow and blue leader’s jersey.
Baudin finished the 146.2km stage in 3:43:58, with Ramses Debruyne and Léo Bisiaux leading the next group home 32 seconds later. Kevin Vermaerke, Rudy Molard, Ben Tulett, Luke Plapp, Luke Tuckwell, Kévin Vauquelin and Oscar Onley completed the top 10 on the same time as Debruyne.
The opening day was harder than a standard first stage. The Côte de Rousset split the race late, and while several GC riders stayed close, the gaps already matter. Isaac del Toro, Juan Ayuso, Paul Seixas, Santiago Buitrago, Mattias Skjelmose and Matteo Jorgenson finished 44 seconds down on Baudin, while Carlos Rodríguez lost 1:04 and João Almeida finished more than 24 minutes back.
For the full route context, our Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 full route guide breaks down all eight stages, while our Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 stage 2 preview looks ahead to the long road to Le Puy-en-Velay.
How stage 1 changed the race
Stage 1 was expected to be selective, and it delivered that without becoming a full GC showdown. Baudin’s move from the breakaway gave EF Education-EasyPost an immediate reward, but the more important long-term story is the spread of gaps behind him.
Onley, Vauquelin, Tulett and Plapp all finished in the first chasing group, which puts them in a useful position before the long stage 2 and the Perreux team time trial on stage 3. Vermaerke also gives UAE Team Emirates-XRG a strong early position, though the team’s day was complicated by the split behind and Almeida’s heavy time loss.
The main GC group with Del Toro, Ayuso, Seixas, Buitrago, Skjelmose and Jorgenson finished 44 seconds down. That is not decisive in a race with the team time trial, Crest-Voland, Grand Colombier and Plateau de Solaison still to come, but it does mean those riders are already chasing the first group of overall contenders.
The biggest early losses came from riders who would have hoped to stay much closer. Rodríguez is 1:04 down, Dani Martínez lost 2:53, Ben Healy lost 2:56, Tobias Halland Johannessen lost 3:20, and Almeida is now effectively out of the GC picture after losing 24:09.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Gaëtan FlammeTour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 GC after stage 1
- Alex Baudin, EF Education-EasyPost, 3:43:58
- Ramses Debruyne, Alpecin-Premier Tech, +0:32
- Léo Bisiaux, Decathlon CMA CGM Team, +0:32
- Kevin Vermaerke, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +0:32
- Rudy Molard, Groupama-FDJ United, +0:32
- Ben Tulett, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +0:32
- Luke Plapp, Team Jayco-AlUla, +0:32
- Luke Tuckwell, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +0:32
- Kévin Vauquelin, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, +0:32
- Oscar Onley, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, +0:32
Baudin’s 32-second gap gives him a useful early lead, especially with a long stage to Le Puy-en-Velay next. He also has time on several major GC names, but the race is still too early to treat this as a settled hierarchy.
The stronger message comes from the riders already inside the top 10. Tulett, Plapp, Vauquelin and Onley all avoided the first significant split, while the Del Toro, Ayuso, Seixas, Buitrago, Skjelmose and Jorgenson group now has 12 seconds to recover on them before the bonuses and time trial are factored in.
Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team will be pleased with two riders in the top 10 through Vauquelin and Onley, even if Rodríguez lost time behind them. Team Visma | Lease a Bike also have Tulett near the front and Jorgenson safely in the main GC group, giving them options before the team time trial.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Gaëtan FlammePoints classification after stage 1
Baudin also leads the points classification after taking the stage victory in Saint-Ismier. He has 15 points, with Debruyne second on 12 after finishing runner-up from the chasing group.
Because Baudin will wear the yellow and blue leader’s jersey on stage 2, Debruyne is expected to wear the green jersey on the road. The classification itself still belongs to Baudin, but the jersey will pass down while he carries the overall lead.
This competition is still very open after only one day. Stage 2 could bring another reduced finish, a breakaway win or a sprint from a tired group, so the points picture may change quickly before the race reaches the team time trial.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Gaëtan FlammeMountains classification after stage 1
Baudin also leads the mountains classification after stage 1, taking control of the early climbing standings during his winning ride. Sergio Samitier is expected to wear the polka-dot jersey on stage 2 because Baudin will already be in the overall leader’s jersey.
The Côte de Rousset made the difference on the opening day, and Baudin used it perfectly. His attack there did more than secure climbing points. It also created the winning move and forced the GC riders behind into their first serious chase of the week.
The mountains classification should shift again later in the race, with the final three stages bringing Crest-Voland, Grand Colombier and Plateau de Solaison. For now, Baudin has taken control of the early jersey picture as well as the overall lead.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Gaëtan FlammeYoung rider classification after stage 1
Baudin is also the best young rider after stage 1, but Bisiaux is expected to wear the white jersey on stage 2 because Baudin will already be in yellow and blue.
Bisiaux’s ride was one of the strongest performances of the day. Finishing third on the stage, only 32 seconds behind Baudin, gives him a strong start in both the overall and youth standings.
Tuckwell also made an immediate impression by finishing eighth in the same group. With the team time trial and mountain stages still ahead, the youth classification already has riders close enough to make it more than a secondary jersey competition.
Team classification after stage 1
Team Visma | Lease a Bike lead the team classification after stage 1 with a combined time of 11:13:45.
Tulett’s sixth place was central to that, while Bruno Armirail finished 11th at 35 seconds and Jorgenson came in with the main GC group at 44 seconds. That gives the team a strong early base before the Perreux team time trial, where depth and organisation will be tested more directly.
Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team also had a mixed but interesting start. Vauquelin and Onley finished inside the top 10, while Rodríguez conceded 1:04. That keeps the team visible near the front, but it also creates an internal GC picture that may need to be managed carefully over the next two days.
What changed after stage 1?
Baudin took almost everything available on stage 1: the stage win, the overall lead, the points lead, the mountains lead, the youth lead and the combativity prize. In practical jersey terms, that means others will wear green, polka dots and white on his behalf, but the classifications all run through the EF Education-EasyPost rider after day one.
The GC picture is already uneven. The first chasing group at 32 seconds contains several riders who could become serious overall factors, while many of the pre-race names sit at 44 seconds. That gap is still small, but it gives the opening block of the race a sharper edge.
The day was more damaging for Almeida, Healy, Martínez, Tobias Halland Johannessen and Rodríguez. Almeida’s 24-minute loss removes him from any realistic GC discussion, while the others now need to recover ground before the race even reaches the final mountain weekend.
What comes next?
Stage 2 takes the Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes from Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux to Le Puy-en-Velay over 234.3km. It is the longest stage of the race and comes before the 28.4km team time trial in Perreux.
That makes Baudin’s yellow and blue jersey defence complicated. EF Education-EasyPost have the race lead, but stage 2 is long, hilly and difficult to control. A strong breakaway could go again, while teams with riders already behind may want to create pressure before the time trial.
The first day has already split the race. Stage 2 will show whether those gaps settle down or begin to widen.
Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 result
[results]
