EF Education-EasyPost rider Richard Carapaz won the 18th stage of the 2026 Tour de France after launching a solo attack on the final climb to Orcières-Merlette.
The victory marked Carapaz's second stage win in his Tour de France career and saw him break into the top 10 of the overall standings after gaining a time advantage from the breakaway .
"This was a special day. We've tried to win from breakaways several times , but we haven't succeeded. Today was a very tough stage, and the final climb suited my personality perfectly. I waited for the right moment to attack and finally enjoyed the victory," said Carapaz.
The Ecuadorian rider finished 45 seconds ahead of Mauro Schmid , while Matteo Jorgenson finished third.
The mountain stage, with a total elevation gain of around 3,900 meters, was aggressive from the start.
The fight to form a breakaway group was fierce before 14 riders finally managed to break away from the peloton, including Carapaz, Jorgenson, Mauro Schmid, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Egan Bernal, and Mads Pedersen.
