First GC test or another cagey stage? Seixas, Jorgenson and Ayuso divided before stage 6

After five stages packed with rolling terrain, flat finishes and a team time trial, the riders in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes are finally heading into the mountains. Friday’s stage to Crest-Voland could create the first real gaps among the general classification contenders. Or will the big names still be too focused on what is coming later in the weekend? Ahead of the first real opportunity for the climbers, several of the race favourites shared their expectations.

Paul Seixas is one of the major contenders for the overall victory. The Frenchman from Decathlon CMA CGM is hoping to win the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes on home roads, and after five relatively straightforward days, he is ready for the race to open up. “It’s nice that I can finally really race,” he laughed when speaking to CyclingPro.net. “The last few days have been a bit of a game: don’t lose too much time, don’t waste too much energy. Now it really starts.”

Stage 6 brings the first uphill finish of the race, but the young Frenchman also knows that it is not an easy day to predict. “It will be a shorter effort, but still a climb. It will be different compared to tomorrow and the day after. Those days will be really hard, proper mountain stages. Today will be a little different.”

A stage win would be special, and laying down a marker in the general classification would be even better. Friday could give Seixas the chance to do exactly that, but he stressed that this is not his main objective. That comes in July. “I don’t need to send a signal. I need to be ready for the Tour de France. I want to be good this weekend, but I want to be better at the Tour.”

Matteo Jorgenson is the team leader for Visma | Lease a Bike. The American lost teammate Wout van Aert ahead of the sixth stage, and will therefore have to chase a strong overall result without the powerful Belgian by his side. He looks at the first mountain stage slightly differently from Seixas. “There are three real mountain stages, but today is the least difficult one. That doesn’t mean it will hurt any less.”

The truly brutal stages are still to come, then, but the leader of the Dutch team believes Crest-Voland may still offer a chance for a stage result. Everything would need to fall into place. “The lower gradients should suit me better. The race is just going along as it is; we’re not going to take control. But if it all comes back together, I do want to go for the stage.”

Juan Ayuso returned to racing after two months away. The Spaniard is expected to carry Lidl-Trek’s hopes in the mountains, but he also has Mattias Skjelmose alongside him as a second leadership option. Ayuso sees that as a clear advantage. “Today the real fight for the general classification begins. I feel good, but Mattias does too. We hope we can play two cards, and that works in our favour.”

Still, the climber is mainly looking toward the stages that follow. He does not expect a major GC battle just yet. “It is a difficult day compared to the coming stages. Those are really super-hard stages from the start. Today there will be a big fight to get into the breakaway, and we’ll see whether any team tries to control the race. I don’t really see big differences opening up, and without bonus seconds, not many teams will want to control.”

Author: David Bavin-Hobbs - [email protected]