As it happened: victory goes to the breakaway in the Alps on stage 18 of the Tour de France
The first of the final Alpine trilogy, stage 18 should suit attacking climbers out of contention for the overall classification
Hello and welcome to stage 18 of the Tour de France!
After yesterday’s thrilling battle in the race for the green jersey, today the attention turns back towards the general classification, as at long last the race heads into the Alps! This competition might seem a lot more closed off, with Tadej Pogačar’s huge lead of 4:32, but you never know what can happen in the final stages of a Tour de France - especially when we know what illness has struck the leader’s team…
With today’s parcours not as severe as the two mighty Alpe d’Huez stages to come, the consensus appears to be that today will likely be one for the breakaway rather than the GC. The stage win specialists will know this, as will those targetting the polka-dot jersey, and therefore the battle to get into the break at the start of the day will be more vital and very competitive.
The riders are in the neutralised zone, having set off from the picturesque unofficial start at Voiron. They will be racing for real in about 2km.
OFFICIAL START
And they're off! It's a subdued start, with only a few tentative moves attempted so far - they might be waiting for the first climb of the day, which isn't for another 20km.
Lewis Askey, Jonas Abrahamsen, Marco Haller and Pascal Eenkhoorn managed to get a small gap for a little while, but have since been brought back. These aren't the kind of riders we imagine will make the definitive break when it forms - there is far too much climbing on the menu for them.
A new group has formed, and it features some of those in the previous group - Askey and Abrahamsen. They’re joined by Le Berre, Gate and Vinokurov. They’ve built a lead of 25 seconds, but the action is far from done with the climb starting in about 10km.
170KM TO GO
The King of the Mountains candidates are coming to the fore ahead of the climb. Richard Carapa (third in that competition) has his EF Education-EasyPost riders controlling at the front of the peloton, keeping the five-man break's lead at about 40 seconds; and Astana DS Pete Kennaugh states that Soudal-QuickStep are also wanting to control things, for their man Valentin Paret-Peintre (second in the competition).
“So if I hear right, QuickStep are controlling, I guess to keep it together until the climb”
Peter Kennaugh, XDS Astana DS
These are the five riders out front...but for how much longer? The riders will start riding the Côte d'Engins in a few kilometres, which, at 5.5% for 11.6km, will see only real climbers remain at the front of the race for.
160KM TO GO
The riders have just started the climb. EF had been setting the pace in the peloton, but now Visma-Lease a Bike take over. Now Vingegaard is out of the race, they must be targetting days like this to go for stage wins.
This is an interesting developing, and a worrying one for UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Brandon McNulty, one of their key climbing domestiques, is dropped out of the peloton almost as soon as the road went uphill. He is, presumably, sick, which suggests that whatever Adam Yates came down with is contagious.
So the big question is - has their leader Tadej Pogačar managed to avoid the illness that has struck the team, or is he also vulnerable?
Adam Yates to race on at Tour de France despite suffering with stomach problem
Abrahamsen, Le Berre and Vinokurov have dropped Askey and Gate on the lower slopes of the climb, and a chase group has formed behind them featuring Quinn, Slock, Van Eetvelt and Anders Halland Johannessen. The gaps are all very small though, with only ten seconds separating the front breakaway group and the front of the peloton.
A new group of four is clear at the front of the race, and it contains the polka-dot jersey candidates - Carapaz and Paret-Peintre are here, along with the former’s teammate Healy, plus Caruso and Bernal. 4.5km from the summit, they’re preparing for battle for the KOM points.
Meanwhile more riders are being shelled out of the back of the peloton, including Jasper Philipsen. If Mads Pedersen can hang in there on this climb and the net, there’s a chance for him to gain an advantage again in the points classification at the day’s intermediate sprint.
That group has been brought back, instigating a new flurry of attacks, including one by Quinn Simmons - who you might have thought would prioritise setting a tempo for Mads Pedersen, who’s shrill right towards the front of the peloton and trying to survive this climb to contest the intermediate sprint later.
Lidl-Trek have ridden brilliantly as a collective all race, but Simmons has spoken out at his frustration at the way the team prioritises Pedersen’s green jersey bid over his desire to win a stage.
150KM TO GO
A group of three now leads the race, with 1km to go until the summit. Along with Schmid, It contains two of Carapaz's teammates, Healy and Quinn - but not Carapaz himself. Will he bridge over before the top?
KOM - COTE D'ENGINS
Carapaz did indeed attack from the peloton behind to join is teammates, but had to settle for second at the summit as he was joined by Paret-Peintre, who out-sprinted him at the top. That pair have become the clear candidates to challenge Pogačar for the polka-dot jersey.
1 Pogačar 70
2 Paret-Peintre 56
3 Carapaz 48
4 Evenepoel 36
5 Seixas 34
A new lead group has formed on the false flat that followed the official summit of the climb, and guess who’s present in it? Mads Pedersen! The Dane has Jorgenson, Arensman, Castrillo, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Engelhardt and Breuillard with him, and a gap of 13 seconds on the peloton. EF aren’t happy with the situation though, and Ben Healy is trying to drag the peloton back to them.
140KM TO GO
Despite the best efforts of EF, who have also had Carapaz try an attack, this Pederen group still leads by over 20 seconds. The riders are still not descending, continuing up an uphill road that it not count as part of the official climb.
While Pedersen is riding for the green jersey, EF are worried about letting this break up the road and taking some much-needed KOM points that Carapaz wants.
Healy is attacking constantly to try and get out of the peloton and bridge up to the seven leaders, but is having no luck. He's being marked by the teammates of riders already up the road, including Netcompany's Bernal and Lidl's Simmons. As they near the start of the descent, the lead group is 30 seconds up the road.
The lead group continue to maintain their advantage, of 35 seconds over the peloton. Romain Grégoire is the latest rider to set off out of the peloton in pursuit, but has no help with him and is only a handful of seconds ahead of them.
Castrillo is one of the seven riders in the break today, and is on a mission to redeem what has been a difficult race for Movistar, who remain winless and lost their GC man Cian Uijtdebroeks in the first man.
One positive story that has come from the team is Nelson Oliveira, who is quietly on the brink of making cycling history.
Mission accomplished for Romain Grégoire, who has managed to bridge up to the seven leaders all by himself. They lead the peloton by 40 seconds, as they near the bottom of the descent.
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Ben Healy is on the attack again, and is part of a five-man group that is chasing the leaders, also featuring Schmid, Tratnik, Vacek and Garcia-Piena. They’re still 45 seconds adrift, but already 30 seconds ahead of the peloton.
That’s not ideal for EF, who would have wanted Carapaz in it for the KOM points, but still gives them a shot at the stage win if these breakaways are the definitive ones.
Carapaz and Paret-Peintre haven't thrown in the towel yet. They've just jumped out of the peloton, with the latter's teammates Stuyven and Vervaeke joining them to try to pace them to the two groups ahead.
The peloton don't look happy to let them go, however, and are trying to chase them down, but the the combined strength of the two Soudal rouleurs has seen them open a lead of 15 seconds over them. They're still 13 seconds behind the Healy group, and 1:10 down on the leaders.
Good work from the Soudal riders, who have brought the Paret-Peintre / Carapaz quartet up to the Healy group. They start the climb one minute down on the leaders and 50 seconds up on the peloton, from which more riders have tried attacking out of.
The riders are climbing again, up the category two Côte de Monteynard (9.9km at 5%). Healy is paying for his earlier efforts and is dropped out of the chase group, but the rest of them are closing in on the eight leaders, now just 40 seconds ahead.
Stuyven and Vervaeke have also since been dropped from the chase group having helped it go clear, leaving it up to Paret-Peintre, Carapaz, and the others (Bernal, Schmid, Garcia Pierna and Vacek) to bridge up to the leaders by themselves. They're making slow progress, still 25 seconds behind.
Meanwhile a large chase group of about 25 riders has formed behind them, and are just under a minute behind, with the peloton a further minute and a half behind them.
There are only about 1.5km left until the top of the climb, and still the chasers have not caught the leaders. Paret-Peintre and Carapaz look pretty desperate to do so, given the KOM points on offer at the top. They still have 15 seconds to make up - can they do it in time?
KOM - COTE DE MONTEYNARD
The chasers did indeed manage to make the catch within 1km to the top, and once again Paret-Peintre beats Carapaz in the sprint to gain the five points at the top.
Behind the 14-man lead group are about 30 chasers at 1:15, while the peloton is 3:45 adrift - the biggest lead there has been all day.
As widely predicted, UAE Team Emirates XRG appear happy to let the break go for the stage win today. They’re riding tempo at the front of the peloton, and have allowed the leaders a gap of 4:25.
The question now is whether the chase group in between can join the leaders. They still have 1:12 to make up to do so.
The chase group is starting to make real inroads now, and are just 50 seconds behind. It's a very big one, and they're working well enough together to bring down this gap.
The leaders are on the third climb of the day, the category three Côte des Terrasses. So another chance for the two polka-dot jersey chasers to get more points; but not so many this time, with just 2 and 1 on offer at the top. Meanwhile the chasers progress has been halted, the gap pegged at 55 seconds.
KOM - COTE DE TERRASSES
More points for Paret-Peintre at the top, who again out-sprints his rival Carapaz. Here's what the rankings look like now:
1 Pogačar 70
2 Paret-Peintre 63
3 Carapaz 52
4 Evenepoel 36
5 Seixas 34
Attention now shifts in the breakaway group from the polka-dot jersey to the green jersey. The intermediate sprint is coming up in around 10km, which is the entire reason Pedersen has made it into the group. He has Vacek with him to control the group, and ensure no sneaky attacks are made before the sprint.
This is set to be some comeback for Pedersen, whose plans backfired yesterday and saw his lead in the classification slashed.
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Having let the break’s lead grow to over seven minutes, the stage winner won’t come from the peloton today. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be a battle among the GC favourites on the final climb - particularly between Paul Seixas and Isaac del Toro, between whom the race for both the podium and the white jersey is intensifying.
INTERMEDIATE SPRINT
Job done for Mads Pedersen, who takes the points at the intermediate sprint uncontested. After yesterday's setback, suddenly his grip on the green jersey seems far firmer.
1 Pedersen 477
2 Philipsen 445
3 Girmay 361
4 Kanter 271
5 Kooij 230
With both Bernal and Arensman in the break, Netcompany are well-positioned to go for the stage win today.
They’ve endured a difficult Tour, with Josh Tarling yesterday the latest to try and fail to land them a stage win. With no rider in GC contention, or for any of the other jerseys for that matter, they are all in for a stage win.
There's a split in the lead group. Jorgenson, Schmid, Johannessen and Garcia Pierna have a gap over the rest. But as has been the case all day, it's Carapaz and Paret-Peintre who are trying to chase them down.
40KM TO GO
Carapaz and Paret-Peintre have joined the four leaders, and are working well together to build a lead of 30 seconds over the chasers. Netcompany Ineos are the team that's really missed out, with Bernal and Arensman both still in the chasing group, which now only have seven riders.
As for the large chase group behind them, they've been going backwards for a long time now, and find themselves in no-man's land with the leaders 3 minutes ahead, and the peloton 6 minutes behind.
The leading 6 are working well together, growing their lead to the chasers to one minute.
This is a key phase of the race, as the road drags slightly uphill for a long time (including a brief steeper incline of 6.7% for 2.5km when the reach a category three climb) all the way until the foot of the final climb. These are the kind of roads where working together in groups against the wind will be vital, and the chasers are currently in danger of being put out of contention for the stage even before the final climb begins.
40KM TO GO
Still the leading 6's gap grows, to 1:15.
Meanwhile the peloton are 8 minutes behind, with Tudor, Pinarello and TotalEnergies taking up the pace-setting in defence of their places in the top ten of GC, currently under threat from Carapaz.
It’s been a comfortable day so far for Tadej Pogačar, but his team UAE are looking very vulnerable today. McNulty was dropped out of the peloton long ago, and Adam Yates has also sat up, leaving him short of his usual mountain domestiques.
Things could therefore get interesting if the GC men really go for it on the final climb. Remco Evenepoel has played down his chances of taking yellow, but might he smell blood given the illness affecting the team? He looks in the form of his life following his atypical preparation going into the Tour, and has managed to get the better of Pogačar in both the last two GC stages.
Jorgenson attempts an attack from the lead group. The others manage to bridge back up to him though - all, apart from Garcia Pierna, reducing the group down to five riders. They're about to start the penultimate climb of the day, the 2.5km, 6.7% Côte de Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes.
20KM TO GO
Garcia-Pienra is inching his way back into the lead group, as they come to within 1km of the summit. Meanwhile the main chase group containing Bernal is now a distant two minutes behind, and appear to be out of contention for the stage win.
KOM - COTE DE SAINT-LEGER-LES-MELEZES
Two more points for Paret-Peintre at the top, and one more point for Carapaz. The real fight will come on the next and final climb, however, where there isn't just another ten points at steak, but also the matter of a stage win.
DNF - BRENDAN MCNULTY
Brandon McNulty has left the race having suffered all day.
He becomes the first UAE rider to withdraw from the race, so they are still strong in terms of numbers. But how many of them are suffering with illness? And might they come under pressure on this upcoming final climb? It promises to be an intriguing ending to this stage, both in terms of the win, and the action among the GC contenders.
“Brendan [McNulty] abandoned just now. He was alone for 50km. Come on guys you can do it still.”
UAE Team Emirates XRG DS
Paul Seixas still has lots of teammates with him in the peloton. This might be a real chance for him to try and exploit UAE's weakness and go after Del Toro's spot on the podium, as well as his lead in the white jersey classification.
Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe have seized control of the peloton on the approach to the climb, and have lots of numbers to intimidate UAE with. Will Remco Evenepoel try anything on it, or ride purely defensively?
One team who have stated that they plan to ride aggressively in search of rising the standings rather than defend what they've already got are Lidl-Trek, who have Ayuso and Skjelmose in 5th and 6th respectively.
ORCIERES-MERLETTE
The leaders have started the final climb, which rises for 7.1m at 6.7%. They remain together for now, but that's surely to change soon as the gradients rise and they start to attack each other. With the chasers a distant 3:50, and the peloton even further back at 5:35, one of these 6 will win the stage today.
5KM TO GO
Of the 6 teams represented in this lead group, all of them have already won at least one stage at this year's race - with the exception of EF. As the best decorated climber on paper in this group, the pressure is on their man Carapaz to deliver. So far no attacks have come.
It's cagey and tactical in the lead group, with some very tentative attacks being made, from Jorgenson, Schmid and Paret-Peintre, but nobody going all in.
Until now! Carapaz explodes out of the group, and no-one other than Paret-Peintre can follow for now.
Schmid and Jorgenson drag themselves back to the two leaders, but soon after Carapaz attacks again, 3.5km from the finish - and this time nobody has gone with him!
Jorgenson and Schmid are chasing behind, but already at a distant 20 seconds. Paret-Peintre has been dropped by them and is still further behind. This is looking very good for the Ecuadorian.
30 seconds now for Carapaz, who appears to be riding away to victory!
1KM TO GO
Carapaz goes under the flamme rouge, 37 seconds ahead of Jorgenson and Schmid, and 1 minute ahead of Paret-Peintre.
Meanwhile in the peloton, the pace is up from the work from Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe, but no attacks yet.
CARAPAZ WINS
Richard Carapaz crosses the line, and EF at last have the stage win they have spent the whole Tour so aggressively fighting for!
Behind, Schmid wins the sprint for second ahead of Jorgenson.
Interest now shifts to the GC group, where Red Bull continue to set a pace. They're riding tempo, and the peloton is reduced to about 15 riders, but it's not enough to put any of the GC men under real pressure.
The group of favourites roll over the line together, about 4:30 after Carapaz. There are no time gaps between them, and we will have to wait for the two harder stages to come tomorrow and the following day for real GC attacks and action.
Place |
Rider (Country) Team |
Result |
|---|---|---|
1 |
Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost |
04:26:21 |
2 |
Mauro Schmid (Swi) Jayco-AlUla |
00:00:45 |
3 |
Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike |
Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 |
Valentin Paret Peintre (Fra) Soudal-QuickStep |
00:01:14 |
5 |
Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility |
00:01:57 |
6 |
Raul Garcia Pierna (Spa) Movistar Team |
00:02:12 |
7 |
Pablo Castrillo (Spa) Movistar Team |
00:04:30 |
8 |
Lenny Martinez (Fra) Bahrain Victorious |
00:04:35 |
9 |
Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe |
Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 |
Tom Pidcock (GBr) Pinarello-Q36.5 |
Row 9 - Cell 2 |
Place |
Rider (Country) Team |
Result |
|---|---|---|
1 |
Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG |
64:35:13 |
2 |
Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe |
00:04:32 |
3 |
Isaac Del Toro (Mex) UAE Team Emirates-XRG |
00:06:51 |
4 |
Paul Seixas (Fra) Decathlon CMA CGM |
00:07:11 |
5 |
Juan Ayuso (Spa) Lidl-Trek |
00:09:22 |
6 |
Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek |
00:10:14 |
7 |
Lenny Martinez (Fra) Bahrain Victorious |
00:12:50 |
8 |
Tom Pidcock (GBr) Pinarello-Q36.5 |
00:12:58 |
9 |
Jordan Jegat (Fra) Totalenergies |
00:14:04 |
10 |
Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost |
00:21:00 |
This is stage win number two at the Tour de France in the career of Richard Carapa, and the ninth across all the Grand Tours. Even when he drops out of GC contention he invariably animates Grand Tours, and that has been especially true at this race; he was awarded today for his constant attacking throughout this race.
And he’s not done yet. His efforts today have seen him move to just seven points behind Pogačar in the mountains classification. The Slovenian will surely pick up points on either one of or both the Alpe d’Huez stages, when he’s expected to chase for a stage win, but there will still be lots of points available for Carapaz - especially if he can get up the road on the penultimate stage, which has lots of points available over the early hors category mountains.
He might not have quite had the climbing legs to defeat Carapaz, but it was nevertheless another great result for Mauro Schmid, who finished second. The Swiss is arguably in the form of his life, and has placed first, second and second in three of the last 6 stages.
Thanks for joining us today for what was a classic in the genre of the drawn-out, hard-fought fight for the stage win, the kind you often get in the final days of a Grand Tour. Tomorrow could be a very different affair, if, as anticipated, Tadej Pogačar decides he wants to win the stage, atop the iconic Alpe d’Huez. But is his illness-struck team in the shape necessary to control the break? And could he himself even be suffering from it?
Whatever the answers to those questions, tomorrow is Alpe d’Huez day, which is always essential at the Tour de France - so be sure to join us again tomorrow when we;ll once more bring you all the action!
