The preview served its purpose. At the top of Plateau de Solaison – the next finish line of the Grande Boucle on Sunday, July 19 – the Tour Auvergne Rhône Alpes awarded Del Toro the yellow jersey as winner of the 2026 edition of the former Dauphiné, which here, in the ski resort of Upper Savoy, he had already reached twice before.

The keyboards of the (many) French journalists present in the press room, located 15 km from the finish line, were ready to churn out lavish praise for Seixas, who was instead forced to withdraw following the previous day's crash. The angel of Lyon, though beardless, was and remains the most illustrious son of this Region's cycling tradition (La Région, as the blue banners scattered at key points on the climbs and along the barriers would say), having further strengthened the virtuous bond with two wheels, whether it's major events or cycle tourism promotion. All under the banner of osmosis between the victories of champions on these climbs and the emulation effect exercised on those who pedal for pleasure.

There is nothing cold about this clear territorial marketing policy, especially when 4 km from the finish Del Toro first threatened and then stripped the leadership from a courageous and resilient Tuckwell, the man from Orange, 250 km west of Sydney, who managed to have an exhilarating week on the trans-Alpine mountains. Places that Seixas knows well, also because his grandparents live in Magland, a stone's throw from the world champion Sallanches and less than thirty kilometers from Plateau de Solaison, a climb whose asphalt has already been polished in anticipation of the Tour's arrival, on the second Sunday of racing, before the rest day.

A successful dress rehearsal for a climb that in just over a month will leap to the extreme notoriety guaranteed by Pogacar, Vingegaard and company. Speaking of the Dane, he has already won here at the 2022 Dauphiné, ahead of Roglic and repeating the success of his compatriot Fulsgang in 2017. Again at the Dauphiné, proof of how the June event, together with the Tour de l'Avenir (at Solaison in 2014 with the Kazakh Davidenok's solo victory) acts as a catalyst in perspective of the Tour de France. The helicopter shots linger over the Plateau, a favorite spot for cross-country skiers, but it is one of the few appeals to the plateau when cyclists have just crossed the finish line after 11.3 km at an average of 9.1%, following a short but sharp Alpine ride. In short, the maneuvers towards the Grande Boucle emphasize the achievement of Isaac from Ensenada, for whom this is much more than a simple and sporadic rekindling of his relationship with France. In 2024 and 2025, "El Torito," the triumphant winner of the 2023 Tour de l'Avenir ahead of Pellizzari and Piganzoli, had structured his calendar almost entirely outside the Hexagon. He will make up for it with interest.