Carapaz claims second Tour de France stage win
Richard Carapaz of EF Education-Easypost secured his second career Tour de France stage victory during Thursday’s 18th stage of the 113th edition. The Ecuadorian rider launched an attack from a breakaway group to win on a summit finish. This win propelled Carapaz from 12th to 10th position in the general classification (GC).
The stage, covering 185 km with 3,900m of climbing, featured five classified climbs. The final ascent was Orcières-Merlette, a 7.1 km climb with an average gradient of 6.7 percent. A smaller climb preceded Orcières-Merlette, a location notable for Luis Ocaña’s victory over Eddy Merckx in the 1971 Tour.
The initial breakaway did not last through the first climb, the Cat. 1 Côte d’Engins, where Valentin Paret-Peintre collected 10 points for the mountains competition. Another smaller group then attempted to break away, with two subsequent moves trying to join it on the Cat. 2 Côte de Monteynard, resulting in groups spread across the Monteynard slopes. Paret-Peintre continued to gain maximum points.
Following Monteynard, a group of 14 riders formed the leading pack, with a chase group of 28 riders trailing by 1:15. The main peloton was approximately four minutes behind. Mads Pedersen managed to stay with the breakaway through two climbs to contest the day’s intermediate sprint, where he earned points and further distanced Jasper Philipsen in the competition.
Despite the chase group’s efforts, they could not close the gap, and it became clear with 56 km remaining that the stage would be decided by the breakaway. Carapaz was part of a six-rider front group heading towards Orcières-Merlette. By the time they reached the Cat. 3 Côte de Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes, just before the final climb, Carapaz and Paret-Peintre’s group held a lead of almost two minutes over a similarly sized chase group led by Egan Bernal.
General classification and other competitions
On the final climb of Orcières-Merlette, Paret-Peintre had an opportunity to secure the polka-dot jersey. However, Carapaz, along with Matteo Jorgenson, Mauro Schmid, Tobias Halland Johannessen, and Raúl García Pierna, were also contenders. Carapaz initiated two significant attacks to distance his competitors, ultimately securing the stage win. Schmid finished as the runner-up for the second consecutive day.
In the overall standings, Tadej Pogačar of UAE-Emirates maintained his lead. Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull held onto second place. The battle for the podium and the white jersey remained active between Isaac del Toro of UAE-Emirates and Paul Seixas of Decathlon-CMA-CGA, with a 20-second difference separating them.
The points competition saw Pedersen in the green jersey, leading Philipsen by seven points. Philipsen narrowed the gap by earning 50 points for the stage win. This suggests a continuing contest, with Pedersen potentially needing to seek further points to maintain his lead, especially with a 50-point finish in Paris and a crucial intermediate sprint on the Champs-Élysées still to come.
Illness affected some riders, including Adam Yates, who struggled on the stage but made the time cut. The question remains whether he can recover for upcoming stages. Derek Gee-West of Lidl-Trek finished 21st in the stage.
Upcoming stages and contenders
The Tour de France is heading into the Alps, with the next two stages leading up to Alpe d’Huez. The next stage, a short Saturday route, will culminate at the famed Alpe d’Huez. The summit finish of stage 18 was considered suitable for climbers or riders capable of a sustained uphill effort.
Contenders for future stages include Carapaz, who is expected to be a strong pick for the next three stages and is also pursuing the mountains competition. Paret-Peintre is another rider to watch in the mountains classification. Other riders like Johannessen and Einer Rubio have shown their capabilities in previous stages and may feature again, though they might not have the same finishing kick for a win.
New names emerging for breakaways include Sep Kuss and Jorgenson from Visma-LAB, who no longer have a leader to support. Thymen Arensman of Netcompany-Ineos, better suited for larger mountains, has also been attempting to make winning moves. Tom Pidcock of Pinarello-Q36.5 continues to join breakaways, potentially creating challenges for both GC contenders and other breakaway riders.
The weather for the stage was 27°C and sunny, with a light 10km/h northwest breeze providing a tailwind for much of the course. The stage began at 12:50 PM and the finish was forecast for 5:15 PM CEST.
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Source: cyclingmagazine.ca
Chloe Tremblay is the Sports Reporter at CasinoNews, covering basketball, tennis and athletics with nine years of reporting experience. She reported on the Raptors' rise and two Olympic cycles. She holds a degree in Journalism from Concordia University. Based in Montreal, she plays recreational basketball and follows track athletics. “The best stories come from the athletes everyone overlooks.”
