Richard Carapaz, the flamboyant Ecuadorian cyclist, claimed his second career Tour de France stage victory today, riding clear of a breakaway group on the summit finish to Orcieres-Merlette. The win was deeply emotional for the 33-year-old, who lost his mother earlier this year and had expressed a desire to dedicate his performance in this year's Tour to her memory.
Carapaz launched his decisive attack just over three kilometres from the summit, ultimately finishing 45 seconds ahead of Mauro Schmid and Matteo Jorgenson. This triumph marks his 25th professional career win and his first since stage 11 of the Giro d'Italia last year. His previous Tour de France stage win also came from a breakaway on stage 17 in 2024.
While Carapaz celebrated his hard-fought victory, the dominant figure of the race, Tadej Pogacar, continued to assert his control. Pogacar and the other general classification contenders crossed the finish line four minutes and 35 seconds after Carapaz, with the Slovenian retaining his commanding lead of four minutes and 32 seconds over Remco Evenepoel. The focus for Pogacar now shifts to the challenging climbs ahead, including two significant days culminating in Alpe d'Huez.
The stage, covering 185km from Voiron, saw a strong fight for the breakaway from its early stages on the Cote d'Engins. Carapaz was part of a six-rider group that tackled the final climb together. Despite an initial attack being reeled in, the 2021 Olympic champion launched a second, decisive move that his rivals could not answer. This victory moves Carapaz up to 10th in the overall standings, although he remains 21 minutes behind the yellow jersey.
Meanwhile, Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG faced some challenges, with Brandon McNulty abandoning the race due to illness, becoming the first rider from the team to withdraw. Adam Yates also appeared to be struggling, though he managed to finish the stage. However, Isaac del Toro's strong performance ensured he remained third overall, 19 seconds ahead of French teenager Paul Seixas, offering some stability for the leading team.