Carapaz crowned King of the Mountains, wins stage in Tour de France finale

Ecuadorian cyclist Richard Carapaz has emerged as a standout performer in the final stages of the Tour de France, claiming the King of the Mountains jersey for the second year running. The 33-year-old from Carchi showcased remarkable strength, even pushing race leader Tadej Pogacar to his limits during a challenging stage ending at Alpe d'Huez.

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This is the most beautiful victory of my career, it was a brutal stage. I am happy to have achieved it also with the mountain jersey. It has allowed me to show that I am made for this.

Despite narrowly missing out on a stage victory at Alpe d'Huez, Carapaz's determination did not waver. The following day, he aggressively pursued the points needed to secure the mountain classification. With Pogacar focused on defending his teammate's position, Carapaz seized the opportunity to win the stage and etch his name into the race's history at Alpe d'Huez.

"This is the most beautiful victory of my career, it was a brutal stage. I am happy to have achieved it also with the mountain jersey. It has allowed me to show that I am made for this," Carapaz stated. His fighting spirit injected excitement into a Tour where the overall winner was largely decided early on, and positions remained static. Carapaz displaced Valentin Paret Peintre in the battle for the mountain jersey and added two more stages to his impressive record.

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This is my way of racing, attacking, giving everything I have in my legs.

Carapaz also conquered the Galibier, another iconic climb in the race and the highest point of this edition, to secure the final points for his mountain classification title. "It has been a dream Tour," said the EF Education-EasyPost rider, who did not enter with ambitions for the general classification but whose relentless effort propelled him to eighth place overall, his best final standing. He described his racing style as "attacking, giving everything I have in my legs."

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He never stops fighting.