Carapaz Secures Stage Victory Amidst Drama
Richard Carapaz of EF Education-Easypost secured his second stage victory in three days at the Tour de France, winning the final mountain stage on Saturday. The Ecuadorian rider triumphed in Alpe d’Huez, a day after his third-place finish on Friday’s stage to the same location. His performance also helped him consolidate his lead in the King of the Mountains classification.
The stage saw significant drama, particularly involving Sepp Kuss of Visma-Lease a Bike. Kuss, who was part of an early breakaway, crashed twice in the closing kilometres. The first incident occurred coming out of a tunnel, and a second crash on a right-hand corner nearly sent him over a cliff edge, with safety netting preventing a more serious fall. Carapaz capitalized on Kuss’s misfortune, surging past to claim the win.
The 170.9-kilometre route from Le Bourg-d’Oisans to Alpe d’Huez was the most demanding stage of the race, featuring 5,450 metres of climbing across three hors category ascents. Despite the challenges, Carapaz’s perseverance was noted, as he continuously pursued Kuss before taking the lead.
Pogacar Maintains Lead as Final Stage Shortened
Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates-XRG is poised to secure his fifth Tour de France title, holding a substantial lead of six minutes and 26 seconds over Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. Pogacar, who set a record time on Alpe d’Huez on Friday, finished fourth in Saturday’s stage. He dedicated much of his effort to supporting his 22-year-old Mexican teammate, Isaac del Toro, helping him provisionally secure third place overall and the white jersey for the young rider classification.
Pogacar and Del Toro crossed the finish line together, a moment Pogacar described as providing “goosebumps.” This act of teamwork underscored the support within the UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad throughout the race. Del Toro had faced difficulties on the Col du Galibier, but Pogacar’s assistance helped him maintain his position against competitors like Paul Seixas.
The final stage into Paris on Sunday has been shortened from 133km to 89km. This reduction was announced by race organizers ASO in conjunction with the police prefecture, due to the redeployment of security forces to assist with wildfires in the south-west of France. The stage will now begin on the Champs-Élysées, including circuits of the Butte de Montmartre.
Safety Concerns and Rider Reactions
The chaotic scenes on Friday’s climb of Alpe d’Huez, which endangered both riders and fans, reignited discussions about safety during Tour de France stages. Incidents included in-race motorbikes being stalled by crowds, which affected an attack from Evenepoel. Additionally, Movistar climber Einer Rubio abandoned the race after crashing into the rear windscreen of a UAE team car. This crash, which resulted in Rubio receiving 20 stitches for facial injuries, was caused by a spectator falling in front of the car, forcing it to brake suddenly.
Race director Thierry Gouvenou commented on the incident, suggesting that older car models might have prevented the accident, seemingly attributing blame to modern braking sensors. Further footage showed fans engaging in unruly behaviour, including wrestling over promotional gifts and climbing on moving race vehicles, contributing to the perception of a race that was out of control. French national champion Romain Grégoire described spectators as being “so drunk that it was more like being slapped on the arse, than getting pushes.”
The spat between Carapaz and French climber Lenny Martinez also continued into Saturday morning. The two riders exchanged words after Carapaz accused Martinez of cutting in front of him on the final corner of Friday’s stage. Martinez, however, remained unconcerned, stating he needed to be first through the corner.
As the race approaches its conclusion, Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek is set to win the green points jersey in Paris, leading Jasper Philipsen by 82 points. Tom Pidcock of Pinarello-Q36.5 is expected to finish ninth overall in the general classification.
The overall standings after stage 20 show Tadej Pogacar in first place with a time of 72 hours, 53 minutes, and 44 seconds.
Source: theguardian.com
