Carapaz wins Tour de France queen stage at Alpe d'Huez; Pogacar nears fifth title

Richard Carapaz secured a commanding victory on the queen stage of the Tour de France, conquering the iconic Alpe d'Huez. The Ecuadorian rider, part of the EF Education team, broke away early and finished 26 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel and 31 seconds ahead of Sepp Kuss. Kuss had led the stage until a late crash.

Tadej Pogacar appears poised to win his fifth Tour de France title, having built a substantial lead. He crossed the finish line just over a minute behind Carapaz, accompanied by his teammate Isaac del Toro, whom he supported throughout the stage to maintain his third position overall. Pogacar acted as a loyal domestique, assisting Del Toro on the climbs of Croix de Fer, Télégraphe, Galibier, and Sarenne.

The stage also saw a notable performance from the young French rider Paul Seixas, who, despite a late collapse, managed to retain his fourth place in the general classification. Seixas, the youngest participant in the Tour de France since 1937, held off challenges on the final climbs.

With the general classification largely settled, the 113th edition of the Tour de France is heading to its conclusion. The final stage in Paris has been shortened to 89 km for security reasons related to forest fires in southern France. Pogacar leads Evenepoel by 6 minutes and 26 seconds, and Del Toro by 9 minutes and 42 seconds. Carapaz, already a stage winner earlier in the week, is also set to win the mountains classification.

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the 'Locomotive of Carchi'