Carapaz claims stage win
Richard Carapaz of EF Education-EasyPost secured his second career Tour de France stage victory on stage 18, concluding atop the Orcières-Merlette climb. This win marks the first for his team in the current Tour. Carapaz’s aggressive and strategic riding allowed him to break away from his companions in the final kilometres of the 185.2km mountain stage from Voiron to Orcières-Merlette.
The Ecuadorian rider’s performance has also significantly improved his standing in the King of the Mountains competition. He now sits seven points behind the current yellow jersey holder, Tadej Pogačar of UAE Emirate-XRG. Carapaz had previously won both a stage and the mountains jersey two years prior, and he has expressed his ambition to replicate that achievement.
The stage itself was characterised by aggressive racing, with a break of seven riders forming early on the Côte d’Engin climb. Among them was Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek, who was actively pursuing points at the intermediate sprint. The front group eventually expanded to 14 riders by the intermediate sprint, where Pedersen collected the maximum 25 points.
Decisive moments on the climb
As the race progressed, attention shifted to the stage’s conclusion on the first-category Orcières-Merlette climb. With approximately 110km remaining, the peloton appeared to allow the escapees to build a substantial lead. Attacks within the peloton saw riders such as Egan Bernal of Netcompany Ineos, Carapaz, and Valentin Paret-Peintre of Soudal Quick-Step bridge up to the race’s front.
The front group, which included Carapaz, Paret-Peintre, Matteo Jorgenson, Mauro Schmid, Tobias Halland Johannessen, and Raúl García Pierna, remained largely intact as they approached the final climb. Jorgenson made several attempts to attack the group, but Carapaz consistently marked his moves. With 4km to go, Carapaz launched a decisive attack, which only Paret-Peintre initially managed to follow. Schmid and Jorgenson later rejoined the attackers.
However, Carapaz then accelerated again, creating a gap that his rivals could not close, allowing him to solo to the finish line. The Orcières-Merlette climb, while not as demanding as other Alpine ascents, presented a suitable opportunity for a breakaway success, with its 7.1km length and an average gradient of 6.7 per cent.
Impact on the King of the Mountains classification
Carapaz’s victory has intensified the competition for the King of the Mountains jersey. He is now third in the standings, just seven points adrift of Pogačar. Valentin Paret-Peintre is even closer, trailing Pogačar by only one point after collecting significant points during stage 18. Paret-Peintre finished fourth in the stage, narrowly missing out on taking the jersey.
Pogačar, who currently leads the overall general classification by 4 minutes and 32 seconds over Remco Evenepoel, acknowledged the tight contest for the polka-dot jersey. He expressed support for Paret-Peintre, encouraging him to continue fighting for maximum points in the upcoming mountain stages. Carapaz himself noted that the general classification was not his primary focus at the start of the Tour in Barcelona, and he is now within the top 10 overall.
The upcoming two mountain stages, which include the iconic Alpe d’Huez climb, are expected to be decisive for both the general classification and the King of the Mountains competition. Carapaz stated his intention to target the polka-dot jersey, acknowledging the challenge posed by the remaining stages.
The results for stage 18 saw Carapaz finish in 4:26:21, followed by Mauro Schmid 45 seconds later, and Matteo Jorgenson in the same time as Schmid.
Stage 18 Results: Voiron > Orcières-Merlette (185km)
- 1. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost, in 4:26:21
- 2. Mauro Schmid (Sui) Jayco-AlUla, +45s
- 3. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike, in same time
- 4. Valentin Paret-Peintra (Fra) Soudal Quick-Step, +1:14
- 5. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility, +1:57
- 6. Raúl García Pierna (Esp) Movistar, +2:21
General Classification after Stage 18:
- 1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, in 64:35:13
- 2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Redu Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, +4:32
- 3. Isaac del Toro (Mex) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +6:51
- 4. Paul Seixas (Fra) Decathlon CMA CGM, +7:11
- 5. Juan Ayuso (Esp) Lidl-Trek, +9:22
- 6. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek, +10:14
- 7. Lenny Martinez (Fra) Bahrain-Victorious, +12:50
- 8. Tom Pidcock (Gbr), Pinarello Q36.5, +12:58
- 9. Jordan Jegat (Fra) ToralEnergies, +14:04
- 10. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost, +21:00
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Source: cyclingweekly.com
As News-UK's Sports News Writer, Oscar Pennington reports on rugby union, golf and boxing for readers across the country. He built a reputation for sharp explainer pieces on regional sport. He holds a degree in Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Oscar lives in Nottingham, where he follows the pro golf tour and amateur boxing. “Context is what turns a result into a story.”
