Carapaz fulfills Tour promises in Alps: 'It was the moment I didn't believe it anymore'

First, third, first. Richard Carapaz can certainly be called the king of the Alps after claiming his second stage victory in the 20th stage and securing the polka-dot jersey. Although the Ecuadorian benefited from a double crash involving Sepp Kuss, the tenacity of the EF Education - EasyPost climber should not be overlooked.

For the third day in a row, Carapaz was part of the early breakaway. Wearing the mountains jersey, he settled the score with rival Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) on the Col de la Croix de Fer, after which he took control on the Col du Galibier. Once the polka dots were secure, he fought for the stage win. He was dropped several times but managed to fight his way back to his second victory in three days.

"There was a moment when I lost faith," Carapaz explains in the flash interview. "It was really tough for me, because at the start I was fighting for the mountain jersey, and I knew it was going to be tough. And once we’d gotten through the first two climbs, I started racing to win the stage, but it was really tough. I was riding alongside two riders who have won Grand Tours—Jai Hindley and Sepp, who was very strong. I was constantly at my limit.”

The moment Kuss crashed for the first time, it looked as though Carapaz would have to concede defeat. During the second crash, he caught up to the American. “I don’t know what happened, but that’s just how it goes,” he said in response. “I kept going, I kept going, but it was really tough in the final stretch, right up to the very last meters. I knew Evenepoel was 30 seconds behind me and that Kuss was 10 seconds behind me.”

The victories in this edition of the Tour weren’t his first. In 2024, he had already won a stage to Superdévoluy, and that year he also claimed the polka-dot jersey. In 2026, Carapaz announced that he wouldn’t be going for the overall classification in the Tour de France, but that he would be going all out for stage wins and the polka-dot jersey. The fact that it all comes down to Alpe d’Huez makes it even more special.

"It's fantastic to win here, wearing such a special jersey. I worked really hard for this Tour de France. I knew I was leaving Barcelona without aiming for the general classification: in my mind, what I wanted was very clear, and on the final day, we managed to take this mountains jersey home. With two stage wins to boot, I’m very happy. The fans—everyone who follows me—will be cheering: Long live Ecuador!”