Richard Carapaz wins 2026 Tour de France Super Combativity award after two stage victories and polka-dot triumph
Cycling
Richard Carapaz has been named the Super Combatif of the 2026 Tour de France, adding another major prize to a race in which he has won two mountain stages and secured the polka-dot jersey.
The EF Education-EasyPost leader earned the award through a combination of the public vote and the Tour jury’s decision. It is the second time Carapaz has been recognised as the most combative rider of the race, following his previous success in 2024.
Two victories crown relentless attacking Tour
Carapaz arrived at the Tour with general classification ambitions but repeatedly placed himself at the centre of the racing rather than protecting his overall position. His attacks across the three weeks eventually produced one of the strongest collections of results anywhere in the peloton.
The Ecuadorian claimed his first victory on Stage 18 at Orcieres-Merlette, attacking from the breakaway with 3.5 kilometres remaining and finishing 45 seconds ahead of Mauro Schmid.
Two days later, Carapaz struck again on the final mountain stage to Alpe d’Huez. He remained in contention after Sepp Kuss moved clear over the Col de Sarenne and capitalised when the American crashed twice during the technical finale, riding on to his second victory in three days.
Carapaz also collected enough mountain points during that demanding Stage 20 route to secure the polka-dot jersey. He will take the classification to Paris with 156 points, ahead of Tadej Pogacar and Valentin Paret-Peintre.
Those victories followed several earlier signs of his form. Carapaz finished third on Stage 3 and eighth on Stage 14, while his repeated presence in the breakaways allowed him to climb steadily through the general classification during the final week.
Richard Carapaz at the 2026 Tour de France
Carapaz repeats his remarkable 2024 Tour
The Super Combativity award and mountains jersey recreate two of Carapaz’s biggest achievements from the 2024 Tour de France. He also won a stage during that edition, although his results in 2026 have gone considerably further.
Carapaz is set to complete the race in eighth overall, provided he safely reaches the finish in Paris. That would represent his second-best Tour de France general classification result, behind the third place he secured in 2021.
His polka-dot success is also the third Grand Tour mountains classification of his career. In addition to his two Tour triumphs, Carapaz won the equivalent jersey at the 2022 Vuelta a Espana.
Two stage victories, the mountains classification, a place inside the overall top 10 and the Super Combativity award leave Carapaz with one of the most complete records of the 2026 Tour. Pogacar will take the yellow jersey to Paris, but few riders have shaped the racing as consistently as the Ecuadorian.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- That sucks for him. I've always wondered what guys like him do after retiring from cycling - go back to uni? He's still a very young manCrashjames03-11-2026
- Good Point, I wonder if he's been testedmhfrvz03-11-2026
- A busy boy!Lozza03-11-2026
- I hope 2027 is his year.mij03-11-2026
- why does he have to? many GT riders from Froome to Contador to Indurain didn't do them.mij03-11-2026
- I think Jonas would have lost the TDF by 4+ minutes (at the least) and might not have even been in the top 3. Too much talent in the younger riders to say anyone not named Pogačar would have been top 3md197503-11-2026
- this is just stupid. you already have 23%, gravel is over the topabstractengineer03-11-2026
- There was once a time when Lance was supremely popular and he used his artificial "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" persona to lead his mob in going after Greg. There was no one Lance did not abuse in protecting his phony hero image. Lance promoted himself as a divine megastar and he let down millions of cancer victims and gullible devotees who clung far too long to the charade. Lance is the epitome of a corrupt person and because of his power, many around him, including business enterprises, succumbed to the evil. All who got in Armstrong's way were mercilessly attacked by him and his minions. This remarkably continues today with a new generation. LeMond was a number one enemy and paid a huge price. Who do you think slandered who?Yepperoni03-11-2026
- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026
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