Tour de France 2026: Richard Carapaz wins stage 18
BBC • • sports
Key Points:
- Ecuador's Richard Carapaz won stage 18 of the Tour de France with a decisive breakaway, finishing 45 seconds ahead of Mauro Schmid and Matteo Jorgenson.
- Overall leader Tadej Pogacar remains in yellow jersey despite sickness affecting his UAE Team Emirates squad, with key domestique Brandon McNulty abandoning mid-stage.
- Pogacar leads the general classification by 4 minutes 32 seconds over Remco Evenepoel and 6 minutes 51 seconds over teammate Isaac del Toro.
- The mountainous 185.2km stage marked the first of three challenging days in the French Alps, highlighted by Carapaz’s tactical attack that broke away from Valentin Paret-Peintre.
- Mads Pedersen extended his lead in the green jersey classification, while Pogacar holds the King of the Mountains jersey by a narrow margin, and Del Toro leads the young rider classification.
