Carapaz wins before the big showdown

Professional cyclist Richard Carapaz won the 18th stage of this year's Tour de France after an attack four kilometers from the finish. Two crucial stages now follow.

July 23, 2026

From: dpa/det

The 33-year-old from Ecuador celebrated after the first of three challenging Alpine days at the mountain finish in Orciéres-Merlette.

Carapaz, who had been part of a breakaway group for much of the race, celebrated his second Tour de France stage win. After 185,2 kilometers starting in Voiron, Swiss rider Mauro Schmid finished second and American Matteo Jorgenson third.

Overall leader Tadej Pogacar gave the breakaway riders plenty of time and refrained from attacking. Several of his teammates were struggling with illness. Pogacar's teammate Brandon McNulty even had to abandon the race due to exhaustion.

Pogacar continues with a comfortable lead

Slovenian Pogacar continues to lead the standings with a comfortable 4:32 minute advantage over Belgian Remco Evenepoel. Pogacar's Mexican teammate Isaac del Toro is currently in third place.

The first of two stages takes place on Friday. to the cycling mecca Alpe d'Huez. After four years, the race returns to the legendary ski resort. However, it's considerably easier than Saturday's queen stage. The 127,9-kilometer route leads from Gap to the iconic Tour de France town. The race concludes on Sunday in Paris.

Keywords cycling racing bike Tour de France