While the battle for the yellow jersey at the Tour de France might be all but over – barring any final weekend illness for Tadej Pogačar – the other major competitions are still up for grabs as the race hits L'Alpe d'Huez twice en route to Paris.
Mads Pedersen will be hoping to hang on to his green jersey, while there's a three-way fight for the white jersey of best young rider. So too for the polka dot jersey of the mountain classification.
Pogačar held onto the jersey by a single point on Thursday as Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-QuickStep) hoovered up points on the way to Orcières-Merlette before finishing fourth at the finish.
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The Frenchman now has 69 points to Pogačar's 70, while stage 18 winner Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) lies in third on 63 points. A maximum of 110 points are on offer over the next two stages, however.
Friday's stage from Gap to L'Alpe d'Huez features two second-category climbs offering five points apiece, the early Col du Noyer offering 10, and the summit finish offering 20.
Saturday's stage 20, meanwhile, is surely where the polka dot jersey will be won with 70 points up for grabs. The Col de la Croix-de-Fer, Col du Galibier, and Col de Sarenne offer 20 points each while there are 10 points available on the Col du Télégraphe.
Carapaz won the prize in 2024, while Pogačar took it home in 2020, 2021, and last July. Can Paret-Peintre become the first Frenchman to win it since Romain Bardet in 2019?
"It was a good day in terms of the polka dot jersey; I really fought for it at the end, that's what was driving me," he told L'Equipe after stage 18.
"In the end, I was dead, I was really empty. I got dropped on the pedals during the final climb; I was simply at my absolute limit, and right where I belonged."
Paret-Peintre missed out on taking France's first stage victory of the Tour as Carapaz soared away with 3.5km to go on Thursday. French fans are facing up to the prospect of the third edition in history (after 1920 and 1999) without a French stage winner.
The Soudal-QuickStep climber saved last year's Tour for the home nation with a win atop Mont Ventoux, but this year he sounds firmly focussed on the jersey.
"I've closed the gap nicely, and we can still believe in it. I hope I recover well so I can try and get back out there tomorrow; there will be a few less flat sections," he said.
"Over the two remaining mountain days, the goal is to be at the front and fight for this jersey. It will be difficult against Pogačar and difficult against Carapaz.
"There's one I can control, and the other who does pretty much what he wants."
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