Carapaz's Solo Triumph
Richard Carapaz Delivers Decisive Solo Attack to Win Tour de France Stage 18
Anonymous
Key Points
1
On the final 7.1km Orcieres-Merlette climb (6.7%), Richard Carapaz jumped clear with about 4km to go to ride solo to victory in Stage 18.
2
Stage 18 featured a huge breakaway representing around 40 riders, with Carapaz, Matteo Jorgenson, Mauro Schmid and Valentin Paret-Peintre emerging as the four survivors who pushed for the finish.
3
Brandon McNulty of UAE Emirates-XRG was dropped early on Stage 18 and ultimately abandoned the race.
4
Paret-Peintre, who wore the polka dot jersey and had led the mountain-point tally, faded in the finale to finish fourth.
5
Carapaz’s win adds to his Tour pedigree, following a 2024 stage victory and the King of the Mountains title that year.
Richard Carapaz soloed to victory on Stage 18 of the Tour de France, attacking with 4km left on the final climb to Orcieres-Merlette and finishing 45 seconds clear of the field. Cycling News reported the Ecuadorian rider, racing for EF Education-EasyPost, claimed his second career Tour de France stage win at the summit finish.
Race leader Tadej Pogačar finished safely in the reduced peloton, keeping the yellow jersey with a commanding 4:32 lead over Remco Evenepoel. The result also moved Carapaz into the general classification top 10, according to Cycling Magazine.
Carapaz Times His Solo Attack Perfectly on Final Climb
Stage 18 ended on the Orcieres-Merlette climb — 7.1km long at an average gradient of 6.7%. Four riders broke clear from the lead breakaway in the closing kilometers: Carapaz, Matteo Jorgenson, Mauro Schmid, and Valentin Paret-Peintre. Carapaz jumped away from that group with around 4km to go and never looked back, according to Escape Collective.
Mauro Schmid finished second, 45 seconds behind. Matteo Jorgenson took third. Paret-Peintre, who had led the mountain points tally and wore the polka dot jersey for much of the day, faded badly in the final kilometers and crossed the line fourth, per Velo.
A 40-Rider Breakaway Set Up the Day's Drama
The stage featured an enormous breakaway of around 40 riders. That group dominated the day's racing before splintering on the final climbs. Carapaz, Jorgenson, Schmid, and Paret-Peintre were the last four standing as the group fell apart on the road to Orcieres-Merlette, according to Yahoo Sports.
It was a classic breakaway stage — the peloton let the move go early and controlled the gap from behind. Pogačar's UAE Team Emirates kept things calm at the front of the peloton, with no need to chase hard given his large lead in the overall standings.
McNulty Abandons as Pogačar's Lead Stays Intact
The day brought bad news for UAE Team Emirates beyond just the stage result. Brandon McNulty, one of Pogačar's key support riders, was dropped early on Stage 18 and ultimately abandoned the race entirely. It is a significant loss for the team heading into the final mountain stages.
Despite McNulty's exit, Pogačar rolled in safely with the peloton, leaving his 4:32 gap over Evenepoel unchanged. With just a few stages left, his grip on the yellow jersey looks firm.
Carapaz Adds to Growing Tour Legacy at EF Education-EasyPost
This is Carapaz's second Tour de France stage win. He also claimed the King of the Mountains title at the 2024 Tour. Velo called it a huge result for EF Education-EasyPost, a team that punches above its weight against bigger-budget squads.
The win also lifts Carapaz into the general classification top 10, a bonus few expected from a breakaway specialist. Escape Collective noted he timed his final surge perfectly — a sign of a rider operating at peak form with the race's hardest days still to come.
Sentiment
Mostly PositiveNEGATIVENEUTRALPOSITIVE
Publishers
37
Articles
131
Reach
168
A
AnonymousAuthor