Richard Carapaz won the 18th stage of the Tour de France on Thursday, July 23, 2026, attacking on the final climb into the ski resort of Orcières-Merlette. The Ecuadorian rider, competing for EF Education-EasyPost, secured his second career Tour de France stage victory by finishing 45 seconds ahead of Switzerland’s Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) and American rider Matteo Jorgenson (Visma Lease a Bike), according to race records.
The Decisive Attack at Orcières-Merlette
The 185.2-kilometer stage starting from Voiron marked the first of three demanding mountain stages rounding out the race. Carapaz timed his decisive acceleration perfectly on the final ascent. “We knew what we came here for. And we knew what we had to do for it. And today it worked out, and we are extremely happy,” Carapaz said, as reported by České noviny. “It’s an incredible feeling, it was really demanding, but we managed to break away at the right time.”
Behind the stage winner, the chasing group fought across the gradients. Schmid and Jorgenson crossed the finish line 45 seconds down on the Ecuadorian. Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) followed in fourth place at 1:14, while Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) took fifth at 1:57, and Raúl García (Movistar) finished sixth at 4:30.
Tadej Pogačar Retains Control of the Yellow Jersey
In the battle for the general classification, defending champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates-XRG) monitored his rivals closely on the day’s final climb. The Slovenian race leader finished the stage in 13th position, conceding four and a half minutes to the breakaway group but facing no real pressure regarding his overall lead.
With only three stages remaining before the race concludes in Paris, Pogačar holds a firm grip on the maillot jaune. According to race standings published by Livesport.cz, Pogačar leads the general classification with a total time of 64:35:13. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) sits second overall, 4 minutes and 32 seconds behind the leader, while Isaac Del Toro (UAE Emirates-XRG) occupies third place at 6:51.
Czech Riders in the Alpine Stage
Czech riders active in the 18th stage featured prominently in the early action. Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) made the day’s leading breakaway group before slipping back on the major climbs, ultimately finishing 42nd on the stage with a deficit of 13 minutes and 16 seconds. Among his compatriots, Jakub Otruba (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) crossed the line in 67th place, and Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL) finished 133rd.
What Lies Ahead in the Alps
The 2026 Tour de France continues on Friday with the shortest classical road stage of the race. Riders will tackle a 128-kilometer route culminating in a summit finish on Alpe d’Huez. Saturday brings the race’s queen stage covering 171 kilometers with another mountain finish before the final procession into Paris on Sunday.
