Carapaz’s decisive attack
Richard Carapaz of EF Education-EasyPost claimed his second career Tour de France stage win on stage 18, concluding atop the Orcières-Merlette climb. The Ecuadorian rider demonstrated an aggressive and strategic approach throughout the stage, ultimately soloing to victory. This win marks the first for his team in this year’s Tour.
The stage, covering 185.2km from Voiron to Orcières-Merlette, saw Carapaz break away from his companions with just over three kilometres remaining. His performance has significantly improved his standing in the King of the Mountains competition, where he is now seven points behind the current leader, Tadej Pogačar.
Carapaz’s victory came after a day of intense attacks and counter-attacks within the front group. He was part of a group of six riders who reached the final 7km climb together. Around halfway up the climb, Carapaz launched a strong attack, which initially saw him brought back. However, he quickly accelerated again, creating a gap that he maintained to the finish line.
The challenging stage 18 route
Stage 18 was characterized by aggressive racing from the outset. An early break of seven riders, including Mads Pedersen, formed at the top of the Côte d’Engin climb. This group’s numbers expanded significantly, with the peloton eventually allowing the escapees to build a substantial lead.
Later in the race, attacks from the peloton allowed riders such as Egan Bernal, Carapaz, and Valentin Paret-Peintre to bridge to the front. The leading group eventually swelled to 14 riders by the intermediate sprint, where Pedersen secured the maximum 25 points. As the race progressed, attention shifted to the first category Orcières-Merlette climb, which would prove decisive.
The front group remained largely intact over the Côte de Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes before descending to the base of the final climb. This group included Matteo Jorgenson, Carapaz, Paret-Peintre, Mauro Schmid, Tobias Halland Johannessen, and Raúl García Pierna. Despite several attempts by Jorgenson to go solo before and during the final climb, Carapaz ultimately made the decisive move.
Impact on the King of the Mountains classification
Carapaz’s stage win has put him in a strong position to challenge for the King of the Mountains jersey. He currently sits third in the competition, seven points adrift of Pogačar. Another contender, Paret-Peintre, is even closer, being just one point behind Pogačar in the polka-dot jersey race.
The Ecuadorian rider expressed his intention to target the polka-dot jersey, aiming to replicate his achievement from two years prior when he won both a stage and the mountains classification. He acknowledged the difficulty of this goal, especially with two demanding mountain stages, including the iconic Alpe d’Huez climb, still to come.
Paret-Peintre, who finished fourth on stage 18, also gained significant points, bringing him within a single point of the jersey. He described the stage as very difficult, stating that he was at his limit. Pogačar, while holding the yellow jersey, noted the close competition for the polka-dot jersey, highlighting the many points available in the upcoming Alpine stages.
| Rider | Odds |
|---|---|
| Tadej Pogacar | 3-1 |
| Richard Carapaz | 9-2 |
| Isaac Del Toro | 8-1 |
| Tobias Halland Johannessen | 14-1 |
| Quinn Simmons | 14-1 |
| Thymen Arensman | 16-1 |
The general classification leader, Tadej Pogačar, maintains a lead of 4 minutes and 32 seconds over Remco Evenepoel. Carapaz is now tenth in the general classification, 21 minutes behind Pogačar. The Tour de France 2026 continues with more challenging mountain stages.
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Source: cyclingweekly.com
