Carapaz secures stage victory
Carapaz secures stage victory
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) claimed his second stage victory in three days on Saturday, conquering Alpe d’Huez in a dramatic finish. The Ecuadorian rider capitalized on two late falls by Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) to secure the win and mathematically confirm his hold on the polka dot jersey for the King of the Mountains classification. Carapaz passed Kuss with only a few kilometres remaining, extending his lead to 31 seconds by the finish line.
The stage, characterized by its challenging mountain terrain, saw Carapaz as a key aggressor, attacking early on the Col de la Croix de Fer. He continued to accumulate mountain points throughout the day, notably claiming the Souvenir Henri Desgranges for being the first rider over the highest point of the race, the Col du Galibier. His performance on Saturday followed his previous stage win in Orcières-Merlette and a third-place finish on Friday’s stage to Alpe d’Huez.
The final mountain stage featured a 14-rider breakaway that formed early in the 170km route. Kuss, Carapaz, and Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) emerged as the strongest climbers from this group, battling across the Col du Galibier and Col de Sarenne. Kuss initially made a strong move with 17.4km to go, dropping his companions, but his subsequent falls proved decisive.
Pogacar’s protected lead and team support
Race leader Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) is poised to secure his fifth overall victory in the Tour de France. Despite the challenging stage, Pogacar maintained a significant lead of six minutes and 26 seconds over his closest challenger, Remco Evenepoel, heading into the final shortened stage in Paris. On Saturday, Pogacar conceded 39 seconds to Evenepoel but focused on supporting his teammate, Isaac del Toro.
Pogacar acted as a domestique for Del Toro, ensuring the young rider secured a podium finish in the general classification and the white jersey for the best young rider. This effort involved Pogacar riding at the front for several kilometres on the final climb, reducing the lead of the breakaway and helping Del Toro distance rivals like Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA-CGM) on the Col de Sarenne.
Del Toro’s performance, supported by Pogacar, solidified his position on the general classification podium. Pogacar expressed his appreciation for his teammates’ work throughout the race, stating that he now has an even greater understanding of their efforts. He also commented on Del Toro’s potential, calling him a a “big talent” and a “quick learner.”
Shortened final stage and safety concerns
The final stage of the Tour de France on Sunday will be shortened to 89km. This decision was made in conjunction with the prefecture police and the Tour organizer, ASO, due to wildfires affecting other parts of France. Internal security forces, initially allocated for the final stage, have been redeployed to assist with the wildfire response efforts, particularly around the Arcachon lagoon near Bordeaux and Biscarrosse in the Landes region, where over 36,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed.
The shortened route will now begin on the Champs-Élysées, featuring two laps of the avenue followed by circuits of the Butte Montmartre. This marks the third instance in this year’s race where a stage has been altered due to prefecture intervention, either because of wildfires or a heatwave.
Safety during the race has been a topic of discussion, particularly following incidents on Friday’s climb of Alpe d’Huez. Chaotic crowd behavior led to several incidents, including one where Movistar climber Einer Rubio abandoned the race after colliding with a UAE team car. Rubio was transported to hospital in Grenoble and received 20 stitches for facial injuries. The incident was attributed to an unruly spectator causing the car to brake suddenly.
Race director Thierry Gouvenou commented on the incident, suggesting modern car braking sensors might have played a role. Other reports highlighted fans interfering with race vehicles and exhibiting dangerous behavior. Romain Grégoire, the French national champion, described spectators as being “so drunk that it was more like being slapped on the arse, than getting pushes.” Klaas Lodewyck, sports director for Evenepoel’s team, emphasized that while cheering is welcome, actions like “punching in side mirrors and banging on the windows” cross a line.
The final stage is scheduled for Sunday.
Source: theguardian.com
As News GB's Senior Football Correspondent, Lewis Hartnell reports on the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side for readers across the country. He reported on south-coast football for a regional title. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from Solent University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Lewis lives in Southampton, where he watches youth football and follows the transfer market. “The week's training ground decides the weekend's headlines.”
