Carapaz’s decisive move
Richard Carapaz of EF Education-EasyPost claimed his second career Tour de France stage win on stage 18, conquering the climb to Orcières-Merlette. This victory marks the first for his team in the current Tour. Carapaz’s performance also significantly improved his standing in the king of the mountains classification, where he is now seven points behind the current leader, Tadej Pogačar.
The Ecuadorian rider was part of an aggressive day of racing, navigating numerous attacks and counter-attacks within the front group. He arrived at the final 7km climb with five other riders, including Valentin Paret-Peintre, who is also a contender for the polka-dot jersey. Paret-Peintre finished the day just one point shy of Pogačar in that competition.
Carapaz initiated a strong attack about halfway up the final climb, briefly creating a gap before being reeled in. Observing his rivals on the opposite side of the road, he accelerated again, quickly establishing a lead that he maintained solo to the finish line. This strategic move secured his victory.
The challenging stage 18 route
Stage 18, covering 185km from Voiron to Orcières-Merlette, was characterised by aggressive riding from its early moments. A breakaway group of seven riders, including Mads Pedersen, formed at the top of the Côte d’Engin. Pedersen was actively pursuing points at the intermediate sprint.
The size of the breakaway group increased as the peloton allowed the escapees to gain a substantial lead. Attacks from the peloton saw riders like Egan Bernal, Carapaz, and Paret-Peintre bridge across to the front of the race, expanding the leading group to 14 riders by the intermediate sprint where Pedersen secured the maximum 25 points.
With 56km remaining, attention shifted to the first-category Orcières-Merlette climb, which served as the stage finish. As the pace intensified, some riders began to drop from the front group. The decisive moments of the race unfolded with 25km to go, as Matteo Jorgenson launched an attack from the front group, though he was marked.
The leading group, which included Jorgenson, Carapaz, Paret-Peintre, Mauro Schmid, Tobias Halland Johannessen, and Raúl García Pierna, remained together over the Côte de Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes and descended towards the final climb. Further back, the UAE Emirates-XRG team faced pressure, with Brandon McNulty abandoning due to a crash and Adam Yates reportedly below his usual form due to illness.
Final ascent and general classification
Before reaching the final climb, Jorgenson attempted another solo move with 12km to go but was quickly brought back. With a lead of over three minutes on the first chase group at the base of the climb, it became evident that the stage winner would emerge from the six riders at the front.
As the race entered the steeper sections of the final climb, approximately 5km from the finish, Jorgenson made another push but was closely shadowed by Carapaz. With 4km remaining, Carapaz launched his own powerful attack, with only Paret-Peintre initially able to follow. Schmid and Jorgenson then managed to rejoin the attackers.
However, Carapaz accelerated once more, creating a significant gap that his competitors could not close. He maintained his solo lead to cross the finish line first. Schmid finished second, 45 seconds behind, with Jorgenson in third place, recording the same time as Schmid.
In the general classification, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) holds the lead in 64:35:13, followed by Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) at +4:32. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) is in third, +6:51 behind the leader. Carapaz now sits in tenth place overall, 21 minutes behind Pogačar.
| 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 |
Read Also
Source: cyclingweekly.com
Lucy Ashby is a Sports Reporter at NewsGB. She reported on the county circuit and Team GB. She focuses on tennis, cricket and athletics and is known for clear, deadline-driven reporting. She holds a degree in Sport and Media from Durham University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Now based in Durham, she plays club cricket and follows distance running. “The best sport reporting starts by listening.”
