Carapaz Wins Tour de France Stage 18, Pogačar Maintains Overall Lead

Ecuadorian rider Richard Carapaz timed his attack perfectly in the final climb to win the 18th stage of the Tour de France, while also surviving a near miss with a spectator.

It was the 33-year-old Carapaz's first stage win at this year's race and second overall. Leader Tadej Pogačar did not chase him down because Carapaz is not considered a threat to win the Tour and is in 10th spot.

"This is a wonderful victory," Carapaz said.

"I dedicate it to my family."

After moving ahead about 3 kilometres from the summit, Carapaz raced clear. He patted each side of his head as he approached the finish line, and was 45 seconds ahead of Swiss rider Mauro Schmid and American Matteo Jorgenson.

"It's been a special day. It took a lot of hard work," said Carapaz, who failed to win with a similar breakaway earlier in this year's race.

"This is the most rewarding thing for me, knowing that the work I put in has paid off."

Pogačar is chasing a third straight Tour title and fifth overall. The Slovenian star rolled over the line in a large group containing his closest rival, Remco Evenepoel, and Pogačar's UAE Emirates XRG teammate, Isaac Del Toro.

There was no change overall as Pogačar maintained his lead of 4 minutes, 32 seconds over the Belgian time trial star Evenepoel, the winner of two stages at this year's race, and 6:51 over the 22-year-old Mexican Del Toro in third overall.

The overnight stage was the first of three straight days of Alpine climbs.

The 185km trek featured an early Category 1 climb — the second-hardest category — up Côte d'Engins, before ending with a Category 1 ascent to the Orcières-Merlette ski station.

After going over Engins, Jorgenson was in a small group at the front. They were then joined by Carapaz, with Pogačar's yellow jersey group clearly hanging back.

"I think nobody would really commit," said Pogačar, who has won four stages at this year's race.

Carapaz's stage could have ended when he had a near miss with a fan standing in the road, but he swerved around him just in time.

Heading into the final climb up Orcières-Merlette, Jorgenson and Schmid could not respond when Carapaz, who won the 2019 Giro d'Italia, attacked.

"This final climb was tough and suited my strengths well," said Carapaz, whose other Tour stage win came in 2024.

"This was a hard-fought victory, but just as tough as the first one. It gets harder every year to win here."

The 19th stage ends with a HC climb (the hardest category) up L'Alpe d'Huez, an iconic Tour climb and among the most famed in cycling.

The 20th and penultimate stage is brutal and could be epic. It features three HC climbs — Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Galibier and Col de Sarenne — and one Category 1 climb up Col du Télégraphe, before a hilly finish to L'Alpe d'Huez.

The race ends on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on Sunday night AEST.