Baudin’s home roads deliver emotional yellow jersey on Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes opener

Many had in mind a long-range attack by Paul Seixas, or a sprint victory for Isaac Del Toro in a reduced group. But anyone who predicted Alex Baudin as the winner of the opening stage of the Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes is now a lot richer. The win by the Frenchman from EF Education-EasyPost was, however, by no means a lucky break.

Baudin was part of the development pathway at Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale as a junior. After a short stop at the then continental Tudor team, he earned a WorldTour contract with the French squad, and in 2024 he enjoyed a top year there. He finished fourth on the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia, third in the Tour of Guangxi and won the Tour du Limousin.

Even so, he chose a new adventure. The young Frenchman stepped outside his comfort zone and moved abroad: he signed for EF Education-EasyPost. There he had already shown flashes of his class, including at the Tour de Romandie, but this year he has taken another step forward. He finished ninth in Paris-Nice and the Tour of the Basque Country, and sixth in La Flèche Wallonne.

Because of his results in the other stage races this year, people may have thought Baudin was going for the general classification, which made his appearance in the early breakaway surprising. But it paid off brilliantly: on the final climb he rode clear of his breakaway companions. The gap to the peloton was only thirty seconds, but he stretched it impressively: the favourites never saw him again.

For Baudin, the victory, only his third as a professional, was especially special. He is a true local rider, coming from Albertville, a little further north-east of the finish in Saint-Ismier. That allowed the Frenchman to celebrate his win in front of friends and family. “I can’t describe how this feels,” he says in the flash interview. “I don’t think I have realised it yet. It is amazing to have my family here, an hour from my home. It is crazy.”

Even better, Baudin takes the yellow jersey with his victory. “Tomorrow will not be easy, it is a super-long stage. But you just have to defend a yellow jersey, so we will do everything we can.” The big moment, of course, should come later this summer, at the Tour de France, where the race passes close to Baudin’s home once again. That is where the Frenchman wants to shine. “I hope I can take this confidence and this form with me to the Tour de France in July.”