Carapaz clinches solo victory on Tour de France stage 18

Richard Carapaz secured a solo win on the Tour de France’s stage 18, breaking away in the last four kilometres to finish 45 seconds ahead of Matteo Jorgenson and Mauro Schmid. The Ecuadorian, riding for EF Education-EasyPost, was part of a six-rider break that formed with 46 km remaining and launched two decisive attacks on the final climb to Orcières-Merlette.

"It was a special day, to come back and win again at the Tour really means a lot," Carapaz said, adding that he had been watching the race’s splits and timed his move after a Quick-Step attack.

The win marks Carapaz’s second stage victory of the 2024 Tour and follows his earlier success in the King of the Mountains classification. It also provides EF Education-EasyPost with the stage win it had been seeking.

Race leader Tadej Pogačar finished safely in the reduced general-classification group, while his UAE Emirates-XRG teammates faced setbacks, including the withdrawal of Brandon McNulty and a poor performance from Adam Yates. In the points competition, green-jersey holder Mads Pedersen extended his lead after winning an intermediate sprint from the day’s break.

The stage, the first of three Alpine days, featured five climbs and saw several riders, including Valentin Paret-Peintre, attempt to gain mountain points. Paret-Peintre finished 1:14 behind Carapaz, leaving him one point short of the mountains classification lead.

Overall, the race highlighted the strategic importance of breakaways and timing of attacks as the Tour moves toward its remaining mountain stages.