Carapaz’s decisive move
Richard Carapaz of EF Education-Easypost claimed victory in stage 18 of the Tour de France, executing a well-timed attack on the final climb. The Ecuadorian rider finished 45 seconds ahead of Mauro Schmid of Jayco-Alula and Matteo Jorgenson of Visma-Lease a Bike. This marks Carapaz’s first stage win in this year’s race and his second overall.
Carapaz, 33, expressed his satisfaction with the win, stating that it was a “wonderful victory” he dedicated to his family. He noted the hard work involved and the rewarding feeling of seeing his efforts pay off. His strategic move came approximately 2 miles from the summit of the final ascent, leaving his competitors unable to respond.
This stage, a mountainous 185.2km trek from Voiron to Ocieres Merlette, was the first of three challenging days in the French Alps. Several breakaways formed throughout the hot day, but Carapaz’s aggressive riding style stood out. He had previously attempted a similar breakaway earlier in the race without success.
Overall classification and team challenges
Despite Carapaz’s stage win, Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates-XRG maintained his significant overall lead, finishing a few minutes behind. Pogacar, 27, remains in the yellow jersey with a lead of four minutes 32 seconds over Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and six minutes 51 seconds over his teammate Isaac del Toro.
Pogacar is pursuing a third consecutive Tour de France title and his fifth overall. However, his team has faced challenges with sickness affecting key riders. Brandon McNulty abandoned the race mid-stage due to illness, following Adam Yates who also fell ill after stage 16’s time trial. Yates finished nearly half an hour down on Thursday after requiring fluids from his team’s service car.
The loss of two domestiques could pose a problem for Pogacar, especially with the upcoming brutal stages that include significant climbing. The next two stages will both conclude on the iconic climb to the Alpe d’Huez ski resort, featuring a total of four uncategorized climbs.
Carapaz’s strategy and future goals
Carapaz’s victory was a result of careful planning, reminiscent of a historical win at Orcières-Merlette 55 years prior. He described how he “couldn’t stop thinking about this stage” and felt it suited his strengths. His series of attacks on the final climb were decisive, leading to his ninth Grand Tour win.
The stage win also saw Carapaz move into the top ten overall and secure third place in the mountains ranking. He expressed interest in potentially pursuing the polka-dot jersey, noting that only seven points separate him from Pogacar in that classification. Carapaz aims to make the most of the remaining opportunities for non-GC contenders to shine, especially with the next two days promising to be even more challenging.
The 19th stage on Friday will end with an HC climb up L’Alpe d’Huez, followed by a brutal 20th stage on Saturday featuring three HC climbs and one Category 1 climb before another hilly finish to L’Alpe d’Huez. The race concludes on Sunday on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Source: bbc.com