Carapaz wins Tour de France queen stage as Kuss crashes twice; Pogacar seals fifth overall title
Richard Carapaz won the Tour de France's 20th stage atop Alpe d'Huez on Saturday after Sepp Kuss crashed twice on the final descent. Tadej Pogacar, who finished fourth, holds a 6:26 lead and will collect his record-equalling fifth overall win in Paris.
Queen stage chaos
On the 20th stage from Le Bourg d'Oisans to Alpe d'Huez, covering 170.9 km and approximately 5,600 metres of climbing, Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) attacked from the breakaway and secured his second stage win of this Tour. The 33-year-old Ecuadorian had already claimed the polka-dot jersey the previous day and cemented his mountain classification lead by summiting the Col du Galibier first. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) took second place on the day, while Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) rode in fourth, arm in arm with teammate Isaac del Toro.
- Peloton departs Le Bourg d'Oisans for the 170.9 km queen stage.
- First hors-categorie climb; Pascal Ackermann abandons.
- Second major ascent of the day.
- Carapaz crests the 17.7 km, 7% climb first to take mountain points.
- Kuss leads the stage heading towards the final climb to Alpe d'Huez.
- The American falls twice in quick succession; Carapaz passes him.
- Carapaz wins the queen stage; Pogacar and del Toro cross 1:05 later.
Kuss's double misfortune
Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike), the lone American in contention, was on the verge of a stage victory after five hours of racing. On the final descent before the 4-kilometre climb to Alpe d'Huez, the 31-year-old crashed once and then, moments later, crashed again in a corner. A safety net stretched across the drop-off prevented worse consequences. As Kuss scrambled to recover, Carapaz swept past and could not be caught, winning by a margin of 1:05. Evenepoel also overtook Kuss, pushing him down to third place on the stage.
Pogacar's domestique duty
With an insurmountable lead of 6:26 minutes, Pogacar worked for his Mexican teammate del Toro, setting a hard tempo to reduce the gap to the breakaway and shield del Toro from attacks by Paul Seixas (Decathlon CGA CGM). The strategy paid off: del Toro crossed the line fifth and secured third place overall, 9:42 behind Pogacar, holding onto the white jersey of best young rider. Pogacar, at 27, will draw level with Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and Miguel Indurain on five Tour wins when the race ends in Paris (Lance Armstrong's seven wins were stripped).
Standings with one stage to go
The final general classification is all but decided. Pogacar leads, Evenepoel (the double Olympic champion) is second, and del Toro third. No other rider is within 10 minutes of the lead.
- Tadej Pogacar
- 0 s
- Remco Evenepoel
- 386 s
- Isaac del Toro
- 582 s
German sprinter Ackermann calls it quits
Pascal Ackermann became the latest high-profile abandonment. The German sprinter, visibly dejected, climbed off his bike during the ascent of the Col de la Croix-de-Fer. Speaking to ZDF, he fought back tears.
My big goal was to reach Paris. I'm very disappointed.
Ackermann had crashed into a team vehicle the previous day but refused to use it as an excuse, adding that his legs were simply empty and his knee was adding to the discomfort.
Shortened finale due to forest fires
The 21st and final stage on Sunday will not follow the traditional route into the capital. French authorities have cut the itinerary from the planned 133 km to just 89 km because of severe forest fires in the south-west of the country, where rescue services are stretched. The entire stage will take place within Paris, with repeated ascents of the Montmartre hill, making it exceptionally demanding for the remaining sprinters. The overall classification is not expected to change.
