Ecuadorian rider Richard Carapaz won Stage 18 of the Tour de France on July 24, 2026, finishing at the Orcières-Merlette summit in the Alps. Carapaz, riding for EF Education, secured his second career Tour victory, while Tadej Pogačar maintained his overall lead heading into the final Alpine stages.
The victory came as the first chapter of the Alpine trilogy concluded. Carapaz broke away from a lead group of six riders 3.5 kilometers before the finish line to secure the win. He finished with a time of 4:26:21, beating Swiss rider Mauro Schmid and American Matteo Jorgenson by 45 seconds.
Carapaz’s Alpine Ascent and Stage 18 Standings
Carapaz’s aggressive riding style paid off at the Orcières-Merlette peak. While the favorites for the overall title finished the stage without attempting any attacks, they trailed the winner by 4 minutes and 35 seconds. For the Tokyo Olympic champion, this represents a significant milestone, marking his second win in the Tour de France following a previous victory in 2024.
The gap between the podium contenders and the stage winner highlights a strategic day where the general classification leaders preferred stability over risk.
- Richard Carapaz (Ecuador): 4:26:21
- Mauro Schmid (Switzerland): +45 seconds
- Matteo Jorgenson (USA): +45 seconds
- Valentin Paret-Peintre (France): +1 minute 14 seconds
- Tobias Johannessen (Norway): +1 minute 57 seconds
Tadej Pogačar and the General Classification
Slovenian rider Tadej Pogačar continues to dominate the overall standings. Following the events of Stage 18, Pogačar holds a lead of 4 minutes and 32 seconds over Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel.
Pogačar’s grip on the yellow jersey is reinforced by a history of success in the race. According to reporting from elaph.com, Pogačar’s victory in Stage 14 on July 18—which he won by 38 seconds over teammate Isaac del Toro and Paul Seixas—brought his total Tour de France win count to 25 since he first participated in 2020.
| Rank | Rider | Total Time / Gap |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) | 64:35:13 |
| 2 | Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) | +4:32 |
| 3 | Isaac del Toro (Mexico) | +6:51 |
| 4 | Paul Seixas (France) | +7:11 |
| 5 | Juan Ayuso (Spain) | +9:22 |
The Rise of Paul Seixas
While Pogačar and Carapaz command the headlines, 19-year-old Frenchman Paul Seixas has emerged as a disruptive force in the standings. Following Stage 14, Seixas climbed to fourth place overall, trailing the leader by 5 minutes and 19 seconds.
Seixas’s ascent has shifted the dynamics of the youth competition. At his peak in the mid-stages, Seixas was only 15 seconds away from the third-place spot held by Remco Evenepoel.
The race now moves toward the final critical tests of the Alps. Pogačar remains the clear favorite, but the gap between the third, fourth, and fifth positions is narrow enough that the upcoming stages on Friday and Saturday could reshuffle the podium.
The primary uncertainty remains whether any of the chasing riders, particularly Evenepoel or the surging Seixas, can mount an attack capable of erasing Pogačar’s four-minute cushion before the race concludes.
