All articles tagged with #stage 18
Richard Carapaz attacked late to win stage 18 at Orcières-Merlette as illness sweeps Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates, with Brandon McNulty withdrawing and teammates Tim Wellens and Florian Vermeersch unwell; Pogacar still leads by 4m32s but faces vulnerable days ahead into the Alps before the final Paris stage.
Tadej Pogačar played down talk of a collapsing UAE Team Emirates-XRG as illness hit Tour de France riders, with teammates Brandon McNulty and Tim Wellens suffering throat issues on stage 18 to Orcières-Merlette after Adam Yates had stomach problems on stage 17. McNulty abandoned stage 18 and Wellens just made the time cut, but Pogačar said the third week brings strain for all teams and expressed optimism that Adam is improving and UAE can push on toward the Alpe d’Huez days to come.
Richard Carapaz broke clear from a large day-long break and surged twice in the final 4km to win Stage 18 of the Tour de France for EF Education-EasyPost, finishing 45 seconds ahead of Mauro Schmid and Matteo Jorgenson, with Valentin Paret-Peintre 1:14 behind. The victory is a timely relief for EF Education in their hunt for a Tour stage win, while race leader Tadej Pogačar and the GC contenders remained in a reduced group ahead of two grueling Alpine days to come.
Richard Carapaz won Stage 18 after a cunning breakaway, finishing 45 seconds ahead of Mauro Schmid and Matteo Jorgenson, while Tadej Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG were hit by sickness with Brandon McNulty quitting mid-stage; Pogacar holds the yellow jersey with a 4:32 lead on Evenepoel and a 6:51 gap on Del Toro as the race heads into the brutal Alpine finish, including Alpe d’Huez.
Stage 18 covers 185.2km from Voiron to Orcières-Merlette, climbing about 3,900m and kicking off three brutal Alpine days to close the 2026 Tour. The final climb averages 6.7% over 7.1km, making it tough for pure climbers but still favorable to a well-escorted breakaway; Start: 6:35 a.m. ET, Est. Finish: 11:12 a.m. ET, setting the stage for an increasingly Mountain-focused finale.
Stage 18 of the Tour de France 2025 was a grueling mountain stage featuring multiple long climbs, with Vingegaard and Pogačar showcasing impressive climbing performances. O'Connor won solo from a breakaway, while GC contenders like Pogačar and Vingegaard struggled to gain significant time, with Lipowitz's attack backfiring. The stage highlighted the intense competition and endurance of the riders, setting the stage for the final mountain showdown.