Carapaz wins stage and jumps to tenth in overall standings

Ecuadorian cyclist Richard Carapaz secured his second stage victory of the Tour de France by winning the 18th stage, a 185.2 km route from Voiron to Orcieres-Merlette. The former Giro d'Italia winner and Olympic road race champion attacked from a breakaway group on the final climb, leaving behind Switzerland's Mauro Schmid and American Matteo Jorgenson with 3.5 km to go. Carapaz finished 45 seconds ahead of Schmid and Jorgenson, who took second and third place respectively.

This triumph marks Carapaz's ninth stage win across all three Grand Tours, surpassing Colombian legends Luis Alberto Herrera and Nairo Quintana, who each have eight wins. With this 25th professional victory, Carapaz climbed to tenth place in the general classification, trailing leader Tadej Pogačar of UAE Emirates-XRG by 21 minutes. The main peloton finished the stage 4 minutes and 35 seconds behind Carapaz.

While Carapaz is not a contender for the overall yellow jersey, the race remains intense. Leader Tadej Pogačar, despite losing a teammate to withdrawal, maintained control over his closest rivals. Belgian Remco Evenepoel remains 4 minutes and 32 seconds behind Pogačar, and his teammate Isaac del Toro is third, 6 minutes and 51 seconds back.

The battle for the polka dot jersey for the best climber is also heating up. Pogačar leads with 70 points, but Valentin Paret-Peintre of France is close behind with 69 points. Carapaz is also in contention with 63 points. The upcoming stages, including two demanding alpine stages with finishes at Alpe d'Huez, offer further opportunities for climbers to gain points before the final stage in Paris.