"Every year it’s more difficult to win" - Richard Carapaz ends weeks-long pursuit for Tour de France stage win

Cycling
Thursday, 23 July 2026 at 18:18
Captura de ecrã 2026-07-23 164144
Richard Carapaz finally found the reward he had been chasing since the start of the 2026 Tour de France. The Ecuadorian claimed stage 18 in Orcières-Merlette after an impeccable display. The EF Education-EasyPost leader read a chaotic day to perfection from the flag drop, slipped into the decisive break and finished the job with a devastating acceleration on the final climb to take one of the most prestigious wins of this edition.

Carapaz' second stage win at the Tour de France 

It was no stroke of luck. Carapaz had been hunting it for weeks with persistence. He had tried his hand in several breakaways, attacked repeatedly and, although the legs responded, the outcome had always eluded him. This time everything went to plan.
The Ecuadorian was part of the day's breakaway, sneaking into a group of high quality. There were many attacks and splits throughout the day but the EF Education-EasyPost rider consistently had the legs to close down the gaps and enter the ascent to Orcières-Merlette in the head of the race.
Despite the opposition of the likes of Valentin Paret-Peintre, Matteo Jorgenson and Mauro Schmid, he was able to make the winning difference halfway up the final climb.
“Winning again here at the Tour is something that has cost us a lot,” he admitted emotionally after crossing the line. “It’s a beautiful stage and I dedicate it to my family. The most gratifying thing is knowing that all the work I do can be rewarded with a victory like this.”
Carapaz at the 2026 Tour de France
Carapaz at the 2026 Tour de France 

The race rewards the most attacking rider

“I was very attentive to the splits. When that attack went with three riders, I understood it could be the right move. We made it into the front group and I think that was the key to the stage,” he explained.
Once the break was established, Carapaz avoided wasting unnecessary energy. He knew the terrain perfectly and that the climb to Orcières-Merlette was the ideal stage to play his cards. He waited patiently while his rivals tried to harden the race and, when the decisive moment came, he launched two accelerations before finding the one that stuck.
“I knew it was a climb that suited me very well. I waited for my moment, tried a couple of times and in the end being able to enjoy the victory was the most beautiful thing,” he said.
The Olympic champion compared this triumph with the one he took at the 2024 Tour and stressed that each win is harder to secure. “Every year it’s more difficult to win, but that’s exactly why the reward tastes even better,” he noted.
The success is also a huge boost for EF Education-EasyPost, a team that had made breakaways its prime objective over the last two weeks. Carapaz highlighted the collective effort and the confidence with which they approached the day.
“We knew what we came for and we knew we had the riders to do it. Today was a very special day for us. We had spent almost two weeks chasing a win and being able to get it for me and for the whole team makes us very happy," he concluded.
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