DISCUSSION - Tour de France Stage 20 - Tadej Pogacar the ultimate super-domestique, Kuss teetering on the brink and Carapaz the superman

Richard Carapaz won the penultimate stage of the Tour de France on Alpe d’Huez after a dramatic finale in which Sepp Kuss crashed while leading. Remco Evenepoel finished second, while Tadej Pogacar effectively secured overall victory after spending much of the day working for his teammate Isaac Del Toro.

The toughest stage of the Tour featured 5,600 metres of climbing across the Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Télégraphe, Col du Galibier and Col de Sarenne. A strong breakaway formed on the opening climb, with Team Visma | Lease a Bike placing Matteo Jorgenson, Sepp Kuss, Bruno Armirail and Davide Piganzoli at the front. Richard Carapaz, Jai Hindley, Juan Ayuso and Thymen Arensman were also among the escapees.

Carapaz attacked near the summit of the Croix de Fer and collected maximum mountains points, strengthening his grip on the polka-dot jersey. After the descent, the leading groups came back together. Mads Pedersen also bridged across and won the intermediate sprint, securing the green jersey, before dropping back on the Télégraphe.

Carapaz then accelerated again and reduced the breakaway to a small group containing Kuss and Hindley. Ayuso rejoined them on the descent, leaving four riders in contention for the stage victory.

Behind, Tadej Pogacar moved to the front of the peloton and worked for several kilometres to protect Del Toro’s podium position against his GC rivals. The yellow jersey set a fierce tempo with his closest general classification rivals sitting on his wheel.

Kuss attacked as soon as the Col de Sarenne began. Carapaz and Hindley briefly caught him with five kilometres remaining to the summit, but the American accelerated again and crossed the top with a 20-second advantage over Carapaz.

That lead quickly disappeared during the technical finale. Kuss struggled through several corners before crashing, allowing Carapaz to catch and pass him. The American was unable to recover and continued to lose ground.

Evenepoel attacked Pogacar and Del Toro from the favourites’ group after seeing that Carapaz was less than a minute ahead. The Belgian managed to open a gap, while Pogacar once again paced Del Toro to limit the damage.

Carapaz held on to claim victory at Alpe d’Huez. Evenepoel finished 26 seconds behind after passing Kuss in the final kilometre. Pogacar and Del Toro crossed the line hand in hand, celebrating the yellow and white jerseys respectively ahead of the final stage.

Carlos Silva from CyclingUpToDate, followed every moment of the Tour de France's second Alpe d´Huez stage and was left satisfied after witnessing yet another day of aggressive, attacking racing.

Another beautiful day of cycling. And another great performance from Richard Carapaz. The Ecuadorian is without a doubt deserving of the title of the most attacking and exciting rider of this Tour. The man lost two stages to Tadej Pogacar, but he will leave France with the polka dot jersey and two stage wins in his pocket... something both he and EF thoroughly deserve.

I am not going to say or write that he gave everyone a lesson in how to attack, because Pogacar still stands above him, but Carapaz produces some of the most delightful recitals you will ever see on a bicycle...

As for Pogacar, today he took on a new role in his career. He had already worked as a domestique before, but never as a super-domestique. This is how you earn the loyalty of men who will give absolutely everything for you on the bike. Nobody else does what he does, full stop.

He goes back to the team car to collect water and ice, pulls for his teammate and stays with him when Remco Evenepoel attacks. Evenepoel was not a threat to anyone, so the Slovenian did not leave his teammate alone. It was an act of selflessness from Pogacar because we know the only reason he did not chase the stage victory was that he did not want to. As the team leader, he could have done so without having to justify himself to anyone.

Sepp Kuss is the unlucky rider of the day. He had the stage in his hands, if we can put it that way, but went off the road twice in the final kilometres. On the second occasion... had it not been for the safety netting, I would go as far as to say that the American could have been very, very badly hurt. He came within inches of the abyss.

Rúben Silva from CyclingUpToDate kept a close eye on all the action on the French roads and, at the end of the day, shared his take on everything that unfolded.

Richard Carapaz is a deserved winner because of the attacks and the spirit he brought to the race, something not many GC riders or climbers do nowadays in such a way, with true tactics on the climbs. His start-stop specialty is something I enjoy watching and he is a rider that just continued attacking non-stop as the race progressed. The two stage wins are well earned and so is the KOM classification.

Sepp Kuss did look to be the strongest on the longer climbs and it was very unfortunate for the Visma rider to also lose the stage with two consecutive crashes on the final descent. The team end the Tour with the same bad luck that marked their second week.

When it came to the GC fight there is not too much I could say was different. I very much appreciate Juan Ayuso's attempt to recover the positions he lost on stage 19, it was good that Lidl-Trek at least used their double-header GC approach 1 time at this Tour, because in the old days of cycling that's what riders the Grand Tours used to be like.

BORA never used their numbers, and UAE used but honestly not to gain time on the competition, it was a matter of Isaac del Toro having the space to follow wheels from time to time.

This was Pogacar's stage and Tour, all the way to the end. He paced for Del Toro in the whole last hour of racing, he didn't need to at all Del Toro was stronger than Paul Seixas on the climbs whilst Juan Ayuso cracked...

But above all it was a push, a boosting your teammate, an improving his morale, a show that you're willing to work for others and be selfless. When it comes to that, Del Toro didn't actually work for Pogacar at this Tour de France, whilst Pogacar was an incredible domestique - if you can call it that - for the Mexican who seals his place on the podium and in the white jersey.

Remco Evenepoel will be a topic for a lot of discussion, but he once again proved his Grand Tour credentials, with what I will call his strongest ever version over a three-week race.

Jorge Borreguero from CiclismoAlDia enjoyed another day of cycling at the highest level and was captivated by the drama of a breathtaking finish.

The queen stage lived up to everything that was expected of it. There were long-range attacks, a breakaway packed with top-level climbers, a battle for the GC podium and a dramatic finale on Alpe d'Huez. It was one of those days that justifies the Tour de France all by itself.

Richard Carapaz once again demonstrated why he is one of the best climbers of his generation. The Ecuadorian attacked several times during the stage, fought for the KOM jersey and never stopped believing in victory.

When Sepp Kuss' crash opened the door, he seized the opportunity and capped off a memorable performance with his second stage win of this Tour. It is an enormous reward for a rider who has been a protagonist throughout the race.

The most painful image was precisely that of Kuss. He had crested the Col de Sarenne in first place and appeared to have victory in his hands, but two crashes on the descent completely changed the outcome of the stage.

There was also plenty at stake in the general classification. Isaac del Toro emerged victorious from his direct battle with Paul Seixas and took a decisive step towards securing third place at the Tour. The Mexican responded when the pressure was at its highest and also had a luxury ally in Tadej Pogacar, who set the pace in the group of favourites to protect his teammate's podium position. It was another demonstration of the Slovenian's commitment to the team, even with the yellow jersey already virtually secured.

Remco Evenepoel also left a great impression. He was once again highly competitive in the high mountains and even launched one final attempt to catch Carapaz on the closing slopes of Alpe d'Huez. It was not enough to win the stage, but it confirmed that he is finishing the Tour in excellent form.

The three journalists agreed that Richard Carapaz was a thoroughly deserving winner of the Tour de France queen stage. The Ecuadorian’s relentless attacks, climbing tactics and aggressive spirit earned him a second stage victory and the polka dot jersey.

Sepp Kuss appeared to be the strongest rider on the longer climbs and crested the Col de Sarenne first, but two crashes on the descent destroyed his chances. His second incident was particularly frightening, with the safety netting preventing a potentially disastrous fall.

Behind them, Tadej Pogacar became the ultimate super-domestique. With the yellow jersey virtually secured, he collected bottles, controlled the pace and stayed with Isaac del Toro when Remco Evenepoel attacked. His work helped the Mexican defend third place and the white jersey.

Evenepoel finished strongly, while Juan Ayuso’s attempt to recover time eventually faded. However, the defining figures were Carapaz, rewarded for his attacking courage, Kuss, denied by misfortune, and Pogacar, who demonstrated that his dominance is matched by his commitment to his teammates.