Carapaz claims stage 20 victory on Alpe d'Huez as Kuss crashes
Ecuadorian rider Richard Carapaz won the Tour de France's stage 20 to Alpe d'Huez, securing the polka-dot jersey, while Sepp Kuss fell twice on the descent and finished third.
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) won stage 20 of the Tour de France, finishing 31 seconds ahead of Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) after the American rider suffered two crashes in the final 10 km. The two were part of a 14-rider breakaway that formed early on the 170-km route, which featured four major climbs including the Col du Galibier and the Alpe d'Huez. Carapaz and Kuss attacked each other on the Galibier and the Col de Sarenne, emerging as the strongest climbers alongside Jai Hindley.
Kuss opened a gap with 17.4 km remaining, but Carapaz stayed in contact. As the riders entered Alpe d'Huez, Kuss slipped once exiting a tunnel and a second time near a wall, avoiding serious injury thanks to a concrete barrier and safety net. Carapaz passed him and extended his lead to the finish line, taking his biggest stage win and confirming his lead in the mountains classification.
Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) overtook Kuss in the final 500 m to claim second place, 26 seconds behind Carapaz. Race leader Tadej Pogačar finished fourth after helping teammate Isaac del Toro, who secured third overall. Pogačar, who is on track for a fifth overall victory, said, "I did my best today to help Isaac. Massive respect for what all the guys have been doing for the last three weeks. I can say I finally experienced it myself, and now I even more – I already appreciated the work of the teammates before, but now it's like another level, and I must say thank you to every single one of them for working so hard for these last three weeks." He added, "It was goosebumps, ... it was fantastic and one for the memories."
The stage featured aggressive racing from the start, with the breakaway containing former Grand Tour winners and strong climbers. Carapaz secured the King of the Mountains points at the summit of the Galibier, mathematically confirming the polka-dot jersey. The day's action concluded with Carapaz's victory, Evenepoel's second place, and Pogačar's continued dominance in the general classification.