Richard Carapaz added to his Grand Tour tally on Saturday, winning a dramatic stage 20 of the Tour de France into Alpe d'Huez.
The EF Education-EasyPost rider had once again been part of the day's breakaway which was down to just three riders as they reached the bottom of the day's final climb, the Col de Sarenne, with 27km to go.
Having been distanced by Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) close to the top of the climb, the American crashed on the road into the finish Alpe d'Huez, Carapaz able to take advantage and his second stage in three days. Having won maximum points on three of the four classified climbs, Carapaz also sealed the mountains classification.
Largely uninjured, Kuss held on gamely but was unable to hold off Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) was third, just 26 seconds behind Carapaz. Kuss was third, a further five seconds down.
Evenepoel had been in a group with the UAE Team Emirates-XRG pair of Tadej Pogačar and Isaac Del Toro, neither of whom reacted when the Belgian attacked, at two kilometres to go.
Finishing in fourth place on the day, Pogačar all but cemented his fifth Tour de France overall victory on Saturday. The yellow jersey had worked for his team mate, Isaac Del Toro for most of the day and now needs only to finish Sunday's shortened stage in Paris to seal the record win.
In a fantastic stage which waxed and waned all day, the race changed complexion both on the stage and the general classification. While the GC podium places remained the same, the time gaps did move, and Isaac Del Toro cemented his place in the best young rider's jersey, just has his team leader did in yellow.
As with the general classification, the points and mountains classifications are also all but decided. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) won the day's intermediate sprint, while Richard Carapaz won three of the day's classified climbs, both men taking unassailable leads in their respective classifications, provided they finish in Paris on Sunday.
How it happened
The last of three stages in the Alps, stage 20 was the race's queen stage, the 170.9km stage between Le Bourg d'Oisans and Alpe d'Huez leading the riders climb a brutal 5,400m over four classified climbs. Of those climbs the day's second, the first category Col du Télégraphe, was the "easiest", the remaining three ascents classed as hors categorie - beyond category.
The final one of those was the Col de Sarenne, being used for the first time as a climb, evened out 14km from the line, before emerging onto the traditional Alpe d'Huez ascent just inside the final 4km, with five hairpins remaining.
The race was on an unclassified climb within the opening 10km, a group of six already a minute up the road. However, as the gradients of the 24km Col de la Croix de Fer began to bite the soup fell apart and they were soon caught by the Visma-Lease a bike led bunch.
Four riders from that team were soon part of a 15-man group to get away, with Carapaz, his chief rival for the mountains classification, Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) and Juan Ayuso among them, the Lidl-Trek rider having lost more than six minutes on Friday, falling to seventh overall.
Three kilometres from the top of the climb Carapaz attacked, leaving Paret-Peintre trailing in his wake, taking maximum mountains points, with the UAE led peloton more than two minutes back.
Perhaps the most impressive ride of the early part of the race was that of green jersey, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek). The Dane began the stage leading the points classification by 57 points, but attacked the favourites' group, bridging to the breakaway which, in turn caught Carapaz and Paret-Peintre. Pedersen then took maximum points at the intermediate sprint, securing the green jersey providing he finishes in Paris on Sunday.
By this time, with 104km to go, the peloton remained 2.20 behind, the Col du Télégraphe looming. However, by the time the leaders began to climb the peloton had slipped back a further minute, with the Visma duo of Davide Piganzoli and Bruno Amirail working for Kuss in the break.
When Carapaz won maximum points on the Télégraphe, the lead was out to 4.10, Bahrain Victorious leading the chase in defence of Lenny Martinez's fifth place overall, which was threatened by Ayuso's presence up the road. However, as the climb wore on they ran out of riders and were forced to leave the chase to UAE.
With 12km of the climb remaining, Ben Healey upped the pace for his team mate, Carapaz, reducing the break to only eight riders. Healey himself was next to drop, before Carapaz made a move 5km for the top and causing the rest of the break to shatter.
Only three men chased Carapaz, Kuss, Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) and Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon-CMA CGM) catching him 3km from the top of the 2026 Tour's highest climb. The group stayed together over the top, Carapaz taking maximum points and sealing the polka-dot jersey, but behind them the race had changed.
With Felix Grosschartner out of gas, Pogačar took over the pursuit, apparently working in support of team mate, Isaac Del Toro. Almost instantly the peloton fell apart, leaving only the yellow jersey, his team mate Isaac Del Toro, Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM) and Martinez in the GC group, though they crested the Galibier 4.40 behind the leading group.
The descent down to the start of the Col du Sarenne extended to almost 33km, and though Ayuso regained contact with the leaders, Riccitello was unable to hold the wheel, despite a lack of cohesion at the front. Meanwhile, Pogačar's group swelled to 10 and they began the Sarenne, 27km from the line, with a deficit of 3.22.
With Pogačar continuing to lead, that deficit briefly dropped, but attacks at the front saw it stabilise and even extend. Only when Nicolas Prodhomme upped the pace working for Seixas, did the gap begin to drop properly, but the French prodigy was isolated with 18km to go and when first Evenepoel then Del Toro and Pogačar went to the front the 19 year-old was dropped.
At the front, Kuss crested the Sarenne with an 18 second lead over Carapaz, and while Hindley was dropping back apparently to help Evenpoel, it seemed the Visma rider had the stage in the bag. However, two crashes on the run back into Alpe d'Huez put paid to that, Carapz taking full advantage.
RESULTS
TOUR DE FRANCE, STAGE 20, LE BOURG D'OISANS > ALPE D'HUEZ (170.9KM)
1. Richard Carapaz, (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost, in 4:59:392. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, +26
3. Sepp Kuss (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike, +31
4. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +1:05
5. Isaac Del Toro (Mex) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, same time
6. Lenny Martinez (Fra) Bahrain Victorious, +1:07
7. Jai Hindley (Aus) Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, +2:15
8. Mattias Skelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek, +2:55
9. Juan Ayuso (Esp) Lidl-Trek, same time
10. Paul Seixas (Fra) Decathlon-CMA CGM, same time
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 20
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, in 72:53:44
2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Redu Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, +6:26
3. Isaac del Toro (Mex) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +9:42
4. Paul Seixas (Fra) Decathlon CMA CGM, +11:56
5. Lenny Martinez (Fra) Bahrain-Victorious, +13:02
6. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek,+14:59
7. Juan Ayuso (Esp) Lidl-Trek, +17:48
8. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost, +20:00
9. Tom Pidcock (Gbr), Pinarello Q36.5, +29:28
10. Jordan Jegat (Fra) TotalEnergies, +33:21