Richard Carapaz of EF Education-Easypost secured victory in stage 20 of the Tour de France, which concluded on Alpe d’Huez. The stage was marked by a dramatic turn of events, including two crashes involving Sepp Kuss, and a strategic effort from Tadej Pogacar to support his teammate Isaac del Toro.
Carapaz’s win on the demanding mountain stage also helped him secure the king of the mountains competition. He had been part of a large early breakaway and attacked alone with approximately 25km remaining in the stage. This marks his second stage win in three days.
Kuss’s Dramatic Crashes and Evenepoel’s Charge
American rider Sepp Kuss of Visma-Lease a Bike, who had shown strong form reminiscent of his 2023 Vuelta a Espana win, experienced two crashes in the final kilometers of the stage. While leading with about 25km to go, Kuss crashed coming out of a tunnel approaching Alpe d’Huez town. He then crashed again on a right-hand corner after his rear wheel slid on dust, nearly falling down a sheer drop before being stopped by safety netting.
Despite these incidents, Kuss managed to finish the stage in third place, just 31 seconds behind Carapaz. Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe finished second, 26 seconds behind Carapaz, after a late charge. Evenepoel caught and passed Kuss inside the final 50 meters.
Pogacar’s Teamwork and Del Toro’s White Jersey Bid
Tadej Pogacar, representing UAE Team Emirates-XRG, finished stage 20 in fourth place. He dedicated his efforts to assisting his 22-year-old Mexican teammate, Isaac del Toro, in securing third place in the overall standings and the young rider classification’s white jersey. Pogacar and Del Toro crossed the finish line together, with Pogacar pacing a struggling Del Toro up the final climb.
Pogacar expressed his appreciation for his team, stating that he had experienced being a domestique himself and now had a new level of appreciation for his teammates’ work. He noted that the moment they crossed the line together was “fantastic and one for the memories.” Del Toro’s rival, Paul Seixas, 19, of Decathlon CMA-CGM, struggled on the Col du Galibier and ultimately finished fourth in the general classification, 11 minutes and 56 seconds behind Pogacar’s overall time.
Overall Standings and Final Stage Adjustments
With stage 20 completed, Pogacar is poised to secure his fifth overall yellow jersey in Paris, holding a lead of six minutes and 26 seconds over Evenepoel. If he avoids a race-ending crash on the final stage, Pogacar will join Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain as the most successful riders in Tour de France history.
The final stage on Sunday has been shortened from 133km to 89km. This adjustment was made by race organizers ASO to redirect emergency services to help combat devastating wildfires in the southwest of the country, particularly in the Arcachon Bay area near Bordeaux and around Biscarrosse. The stage will now start on the Champs Elysees in Paris and incorporate a new section over Montmartre, potentially offering an opportunity for a breakaway win.
Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek is set to win the green points jersey, leading Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Premier Tech by an uncatchable 82 points. Britain’s Tom Pidcock of Pinarello-Q36.5 finished stage 20 in 16th place and is expected to finish ninth overall in the general classification.
The Tour de France stage 20 results saw Richard Carapaz (Ecu/EF Education-Easypost) take first place with a time of 4 hours 59 minutes 39 seconds.
Source: bbc.com