Ecuadorian professional cyclist Richard Carapaz won stage 18 of the Tour de France on Thursday, July 23, 2026, launching a commanding breakaway through the French Alps. Meanwhile, overall leader Tadej Pogacar faced squad-wide sickness as his UAE Team Emirates-XRG team lost key domestique Brandon McNulty mid-stage.
Richard Carapaz Commands Stage 18 in the French Alps
Racing for EF Education-EasyPost, Carapaz secured a decisive victory on the gruelling 185.2km route from Voiron to Ocieres Merlette. According to the BBC, the mountainous route marked the first of three gruelling days in the French Alps. Carapaz deployed canny tactics on a hot day, dancing on his pedals with a gold chain and giant crucifix swinging as he accelerated away from his rivals. He ultimately finished 45 seconds ahead of Switzerland’s Mauro Schmid of Jayco-Alula and Matteo Jorgenson of Visma-Lease a Bike.
The victory adds another major milestone to a career already defined by historic achievements. Born in El Carmelo, Ecuador on May 29, 1993, and standing 1.70m tall, Carapaz turned professional in 2016. He stands as the first and only ever Grand Tour winner from Ecuador, having clinched the Giro d’Italia in 2019. Furthermore, Carapaz is one of the few riders in the pro peloton to have finished on the podium and have won stages in all Grand Tours and also lead them. Perhaps the most important victory of his career however was the Olympic title obtained in Tokyo 2021.
Tactical Clashes on the Tarmac
Thursday’s mountainous stage saw several riders form a number of breakaways on a hot day on the road, but Carapaz’s combative riding was the best to watch. The stage featured intense tactical battles before the decisive split. Carapaz spent part of the climb trying to launch himself away from the hard-charging Valentin Paret-Peintre of Soudal Quick Step – who is wearing the King of the Mountains jersey on behalf of KOM leader Pogacar.
When Paret-Peintre avoided helping the pair extend their lead over Jorgenson and Schmid, Carapaz virtually stopped in the steep tarmac, baulking Paret-Peintre. As the Frenchman then assumed a period of recovery, Carapaz launched again, leaving an exhausted and out-of-rhythm Paret-Peintre broken.
Yellow Jersey Rivalries and Sickness in the Peloton
Behind the stage winner, trouble unfolded within the leading team as sickness appears to be making its way through overall leader Tadej Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad after key domestique Brandon McNulty abandoned the race mid-stage. Despite the setback, Slovenian Pogacar remains in the yellow jersey by four minutes 32 seconds over Belgium’s Remco Evenepeol of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and six minutes 51 seconds over UAE team-mate Isaac del Toro of Mexico.
However, the battle for secondary classifications remains tight. Denmark’s Mads Pedersen extended his lead in the green jersey classification to 32 points, but remains vulnerable to Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen. Pogacar, 27, retains the King of the Mountain jersey, but only by a point, as does Del Toro in the white young rider’s jersey.
