Carapaz takes solo win on Tour de France stage 18
EF Education rider out-wits and out-watts five riders in the breakaway
Resistance, courage, boldness and tenacity are all rewarded at the Tour de France.
The race tries in every possible way to break riders physically and mentally. Anyone with a weakness will be punished — nervous descender, wandering focus, suffers in high heat, weak bike handler in rain, handles pressure poorly.
The Tour is a daily smackdown for most of the peloton. But for those riders who refuse to give up, the Tour bestows gifts. Keep fighting and your day will come.
Richard Carapaz is the very definition of courage, a willingness to dig deep over and over, a never-say-die mentality.
He’s been killing himself for two weeks to find the right move, the ideal stage, the perfect legs when it matters most.
Today on stage 18 from Voiron to the summit finish in Orcières-Merlette, the Ecuadorian once again fought his way into a break with five riders. Together they punched out a lead of two minutes on a small chase group and over six minutes on a bored peloton.
This break is going all the way, people. All Carapaz has to do is figure out how to beat Matteo Jorgenson (Visma), Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla), Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) and Raul García Pierna (Movistar) and Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step). No Small task.
There’s no clear favorite in the group. Would it be the pure climbers Carapaz, Jorgenson or Paret-Pientre who’d triumph on the 7 kilometer climb with grades of 6.7%? Would Schmid, already with one stage win in the race, take his second victory. Would Johannessen and Garcia Pierna, skipping some pulls, be fresh for the last attack?
Jorgenson attacks on the penultimate climb — the Côte de Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes. Paret-Pientre and Carapaz shut that down.
With 4.2 kilometers to go, Carapaz puts in a blistering attack that only the Frenchman can follow. It doesn’t stick but Johannessen and García Pierna are in trouble.
There’s a lull in the action for a kilometer — then Carapaz moves to the other side of the road. It looks like he’s doing an fitness check of his rivals. The second they take their eyes off him, he rockets out of the saddle.
No reaction from Schmid and Jorgenson — they’re officially, categorically, definitely out of legs. Carapaz crosses the line almost 40 seconds ahead, taking the second Tour de France stage of his career.
It’s a sweet moment and a reminder you have to be all-in, roll the dice and leave everything out on the road. That is what the Tour demands and the only thing it rewards.
The victory was a massive relief for EF Education, which had been shut out. "You have to go for it every day anew, and no form of pessimism is allowed to creep into the team, said team director Charles Wegelius. “I am only human and also saw all the days without a win pass by. We stuck to the plan and have been rewarded."
Party tonight at the EF Education EasyPost dinner table. Bring champagne.