Carapaz and Paret-Peintre put pressure on a vulnerable Pogacar, while Tour de France sensation continues to impress

Richard Carapaz won Stage 18 of the Tour de France, and it was about time. The Ecuadorian rider from EF Education-EasyPost had tried so many times throughout the Tour and finally got what he deserved on Thursday. In addition to the victory, it also moved him up to tenth place in the general classification, and together with Valentin Paret-Peintre, he is closing in on Tadej Pogacar for the polka-dot jersey. The attackers smell blood...

"It's a special day," Carapaz said in the flash interview after winning Stage 18 solo. "It took a lot out of us, but it was a beautiful stage, and I did it for my family. My hard work is paying off—that’s what I love most. We’ve tried several times, but we just couldn’t manage to win a stage."

At the start of the stage, Carapaz was already full of confidence. He made no secret of his ambitions: “This is a big day for us as a team. We have three chances this week, and this is the first one. We’re going to give it our all, and I hope to go for the stage win—that would be important for us. I’ve got the legs, and that’s the most important thing. It’ll be tough, but the team will support me all day, so it’s possible.”

Carapaz and EF were sharp all day, and when the climber briefly seemed to lose the lead, he was brought back in impressive fashion. “It was a tough day, and I was on the lookout for attacks the whole time. When Soudal Quick-Step attacked with three riders, it was unusual, but it turned out to be the decisive move. Every year it gets harder to win the Tour, but I’m being rewarded.”

In addition to Carapaz, there were other attackers who were dreaming of the stage win. Matteo Jorgenson finished third for Visma | Lease a Bike, and Mauro Schmid, who had taken second place in Stage 17, also finished second the following day. “I’m happier with today’s result than yesterday’s, because there’s no shame in being dropped by Carapaz on a climb like this,” said the Swiss rider, expressing his respect for the stage winner.

"He was clearly the strongest in the group, and I was just happy to be there," said Schmid, who continues to prove himself among the best climbers in this Tour. He won Stage 13, finished second twice, and is becoming a threat for the final two mountain stages of the Tour. “Felix (Engelhardt, ed.) put me in a really good position and gave me a fresh start for the final stretch. It was a fierce battle for the lead group.”

There will be plenty of attackers sensing an opportunity now that the breakaway succeeded in Stage 18 and UAE Emirates-XRG, the controlling team, is dealing with illness. Valentin Paret-Peintre will be well aware of this as he battles for the polka-dot jersey. The Frenchman from Soudal Quick-Step picked up a lot of mountain points on Thursday, but he’s still one point behind Pogacar. There are plenty of points up for grabs in the final two mountain stages.

With Pogacar at 70 points, Paret-Peintre at 69, and Carapaz at 63, it promises to be an exciting battle for the polka-dot jersey. “I suffered so much today that I can’t be disappointed,” said Paret-Peintre, who, with a fourth-place finish, fell just short of the polka-dot jersey. “I was completely exhausted and finished where I was supposed to.”

The French climber also knows that the polka-dot jersey will be awarded over the next two stages leading up to Alpe d'Huez. “It was a good day for the polka-dot jersey, which motivated me to keep fighting for as many points as possible on the final climb. I’ve moved up quite a bit and can still believe in my chances. It’ll be tough against Pogacar and Carapaz, but we’re not giving up. I can keep Carapaz in check, but Pogacar does whatever he wants.'