"I wasn't a threat to the general classification" - Disappointed Carapaz finds himself in familiar Tour de France position as victory slips away
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar made it three stages in the 2026 Tour de France on Tuesday as his Massif Central raid saw him break away from the general classification favourites in a soaring attack on the penultimate climb of the day.
However, when he did make his move and leave Jonas Vingegaard and the rest of the contenders behind, he wasn't the leading rider of the race - Richard Carapaz was already ahead after attacking some climbs before.
As UAE Team Emirates - XRG controlled the pace and the favourites group slimmed down to just the general classification hopefuls, Carapaz made his move. Already over fifteen minutes down on the yellow jersey, the EF Education - EasyPost rider had hoped that he could breakaway from GC hostilities.
"In the end, we knew today's stage would be very difficult, especially at the beginning where UAE Team controlled the race a lot," Carapaz said after the finish.
"I tried an attack; I had the legs to do it. We tried to win the stage and I did everything I could."
Pogacar's attack ends Carapaz's stage chances
The Ecuadorian hinted that he and his team had been planning an assault on the stage for some time. Building a lead of around a minute ahead of the favourites, things were looking good for Carapaz.
However, with 16 kilometers to go, Pogacar took flight and caught Carapaz in short order. The Slovenian ruthlessly then dropped him shortly after as the race got away from Carapaz and the elusive stage win chase for EF continues.
Read also
He added: "I knew the course, I knew there was a series of climbs that suited me perfectly. I wasn't a threat to the general classification, so I tried to attack from afar. I knew I had a good chance, but in the end, it wasn't enough to win."
Carapaz has been a regular feature in recent Tour de France editions and has already shown fine form, taking third place on stage 3 as well as Tuesday's attack.
However, he faces a long wait before the weekend as the sprinters once again move centre stage. Stages 11 and 12 will be contested by the fast men before a potential breakaway opportunity for Carapaz and other attackers on Friday before a high mountains feast over the weekend.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- It's going to happen at some point. It will happen to Tadej as well, we all get older. Jonas was in pretty great form at the tour. I still consider him a top two or three cyclist in the world, until he's not.awp15-11-2026
- mij, I am not so sure of that. I have been on a spine ward at a Denver hospital that had quite a few spinal injuries from mountain biking.BDBigGuy15-11-2026
- Pogi takes care of his teammates in races and training. Tadej Pogačar is widely praised within the cycling peloton for his fair and egalitarian leadership, actively supporting his UAE teammates both on the road during races and behind the scenes at training camps. Rather than acting like an untouchable superstar, he has intense team loyalty by sharing daily chores, giving up personal glory to help domestiques, and publicly praising their sacrifices. Unlike some Grand Tour contenders, like Vingegaard, who occasionally train away from their squads, Pogi consistently attends team training camps alongside his domestiques, making the exact same sacrifices to build friendship. I love how Pogačar shares his teammates-domestiques, either when they succeed or win in races or when they simply just do a good job for him. It has to be a great moral boost for them. And then they work even harder and go even deeper for Pogi. This is teamwork.PogiSloFans15-11-2026
- Yeah, what he said!Lozza15-11-2026
- I’m sure Jasper Philipsen would disagree with you.Lozza15-11-2026
- Article says he was “out for a spin around the town”, implying not off-road.Lozza15-11-2026
- let’s be honest, Alpecin is all about one rider - MVDP. I’m sure he gets whatever he needs, the rest get the scraps.mij15-11-2026
- there are more vicious injuries on a road bike than a mountain bike far and away.mij15-11-2026
- That'll be one crazy rider
Rafionain-Glas15-11-2026 - Many Europeans say that Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia are one of the most beautiful countries in Europe known for their stunning landscapes because of the Alp mountains, green forests, clean rivers and lakes and national parks.PogiSloFans15-11-2026
Loading
1 Comments