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According to Cycling News, Ecuadorian rider Richard Carapaz of EF Education–EasyPost won stage 18 of the Tour de France after a demanding alpine finish to Orcières-Merlette. Carapaz triumphed ahead of Switzerland’s Mauro Schmid (Team Jayco AlUla) and American Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), while Tadej Pogačar (SAE Team Emirates) retained the yellow jersey in the general classification.
How Richard Carapaz Secured Stage 18 Victory
The 185.2-kilometer stage from Voiron started with technical issues for Milan Fretin, triggering immediate attacks from the peloton. According to race reports, a five-rider breakaway formed early but was caught before the climb to Côte d’Engins. On the first-category climb, an elite group formed featuring Ben Healy, Valentin Paret-Peintre, and Carapaz. Paret-Peintre claimed ten points at the summit to kick off his pursuit of the polka-dot jersey held by Pogačar.
Green jersey holder Mads Pedersen joined a later breakaway with Czech rider Mathias Vacek. According to race logs, Pedersen secured 25 points at the intermediate sprint in Corps to extend his lead over Jasper Philipsen. Meanwhile, Paret-Peintre collected climbing points at Côte de Monteynard, Côte des Terrasses, and Côte de Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes to narrow Pogačar’s lead in the mountains classification.
Pro Tip: Alpine stages often hinge on multi-category climbs where early breakaways must survive elite GC contenders chasing both stage wins and classification points.
The Decisive Climb to Orcières-Merlette
The final seven-kilometer climb of the first category reduced the leaders to an isolated group of six. Matteo Jorgenson launched an early attack for Visma-Lease a Bike without success. With less than four kilometers remaining, Carapaz and Paret-Peintre attacked together. Carapaz dropped his French rival and rode solo to the finish line.
“Zvíťaziť na Tour je výnimočný moment, musíte dať do toho všetko, ak to chcete dosiahnuť,” Carapaz stated, according to Cycling News. He added that it took significant effort to bridge a large gap to join the breakaway before timing his final attack.
Mauro Schmid and Matteo Jorgenson crossed the finish line 36 seconds behind the winner. Valentin Paret-Peintre finished fourth, exhausted and missing out on the polka-dot jersey by a single point in the final standings against Pogačar.
Stage 18 Results and General Classification Standings
The stage 18 results from Voiron to Orcières-Merlette recorded Richard Carapaz winning in 4:26:21 hours, followed by Mauro Schmid and Matteo Jorgenson at 45 seconds back, and Valentin Paret-Peintre at 1:14 minutes behind.
- 1. Richard Carapaz (Ecuador / EF Education-EasyPost) – 4:26:21 h
- 2. Mauro Schmid (Switzerland / Team Jayco AlUla) +45 s
- 3. Matteo Jorgenson (USA / Visma-Lease a Bike) +45 s
- 4. Valentin Paret-Peintre (France / Soudal Quick-Step) +1:14 min
In the overall standings, Tadej Pogačar maintained his lead with a total time of 64:35:13 hours. Remco Evenepoel sits second at 4:32 minutes, and Isaac Del Toro holds third at 6:51 minutes behind the leader.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won stage 18 of the Tour de France?
According to Cycling News, Ecuadorian rider Richard Carapaz won stage 18 after a solo attack on the final climb.
Who leads the general classification after stage 18?
Tadej Pogačar retained the yellow jersey, maintaining his overall lead ahead of Remco Evenepoel and Isaac Del Toro.
What happened to the polka-dot jersey battle on stage 18?
Valentin Paret-Peintre collected mountain points throughout the stage but finished fourth, leaving him one point shy of taking the polka-dot jersey from Tadej Pogačar.
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