Young Australian climber Luke Tuckwell (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe) has delivered the performance of his career to finish second overall at the Tour Auvergne Rhone Alpes.
The 21-year-old from Orange, NSW, capped off an incredible week in France to secure his first WorldTour podium.
"It’s crazy. As a neo-pro, I could have never expected this. I don’t realise what I’ve done this week, not at all. It will take some time to sink in," Tuckwell said.
Tuckwell raced into the overall lead and young rider’s jersey from an enormous 60-rider breakaway on stage 6, where he finished third and helped teammate Maxim Van Gils win the day.
The Bathurst Cycling Club product held onto the lead until Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) ruled the final ascent to claim the yellow jersey on the final day.
"I wasn’t really concerned about keeping the lead because I kew Isaac [Del Toro] was so strong so I was just trying to focus on getting the best GC result I could. To only lose one spot is pretty incredible," he said.
"I knew from the bottom what pace I had to ride. Maxim [Van Gils] saved me there. Without him, I would have been struggling so much. It’s just a collective team effort.
"I keep improving race on race without doing anything special. I just enjoy my time at home, no altitude camps. Just being at home in a good mental space, I think that’s what makes the difference."
Images: A.S.O. / @gaetan_sportpic