Carapaz conquers the queen stage

The 20th stage of the Tour de France, 171 kilometres from Le Bourg d'Oisans to Alpe d'Huez with 5500 metres of elevation gain, delivered a day of tactical richness and physical drama. Richard Carapaz launched a long-range attack 93 kilometres from the finish, crossing every mountain pass first and claiming his second stage win in three days after Thursday's success at Orcières Merlette. The Ecuadorian's solo raid also secured the polka dot jersey as the Tour's best climber, a feat he last achieved in 2024.

Carapaz profited from the misfortune of Sepp Kuss, who crashed twice on the descent of the Col de Sarenne and lost his position in the leading group. Remco Evenepoel finished second on the stage, 25 seconds behind, having finally distanced the UAE Emirates duo of Tadej Pogacar and Isaac Del Toro. But Pogacar's time loss was deliberate: he had spent the final 60 kilometres as a domestique for Del Toro, ensuring his teammate kept the third step of the podium.

Pogacar becomes the bodyguard

The defining image of the day was Pogacar, already almost seven minutes ahead on general classification, riding on the front of the group to control the race. He moved to the head of the main bunch near the summit of the Col du Galibier, about 60 kilometres from the finish, when Del Toro was struggling to hold the wheel. The Slovenian initially set a pace that seemed to trouble his teammate, but soon settled into a steady rhythm and pulled for roughly 40 kilometres, neutralising attacks from Decathlon's Paul Seixas.

Seixas, the 19-year-old French revelation, attempted to distance Del Toro and seize both third place and the white jersey. However, the young rider lacked the legs on the final climb and was eventually dropped by the Mexican, who pulled away with Pogacar and Evenepoel in his wheel. The UAE duo even found time to exchange words, and Pogacar was seen complaining to a race motorbike that nearly caused him to crash on the Col de Sarenne.

Evenepoel gains seconds but not the prize

Evenepoel attacked late on the final ascent and dropped both Pogacar and Del Toro, gaining 39 seconds on the two UAE riders. The Belgian champion, already second overall, crossed the line 25 seconds behind Carapaz. Though his move reduced some of the time gap to Pogacar, it did nothing to threaten the Slovenian's overall lead. Pogacar and Del Toro finished together, 1 minute and 5 seconds after Carapaz, embracing with a horns gesture that evoked the Mexican's surname.

For Visma-Lease a Bike, the stage brought further disappointment after Jonas Vingegaard's earlier withdrawal, as Kuss's double crash ended his shot at a stage win. Paul Seixas lost almost two minutes and slipped to fourth overall, behind Lenny Martinez, but his performance throughout the Tour drew praise.

A fifth crown awaits in Paris

With only the ceremonial final stage into Paris remaining, Pogacar holds a lead of 6 minutes and 26 seconds over Evenepoel and 9 minutes and 42 seconds over Del Toro. The margins reflect a dominant Tour for the Slovenian, who has now won five editions of the race. His decision to sacrifice a possible stage victory for Del Toro's podium security recalled UAE Emirates' 2023 showing, when Adam Yates finished third behind Pogacar.

The 2026 Tour concludes tomorrow on the Champs-Élysées, where Carapaz will wear the polka dot jersey and Pogacar will officially be crowned champion for the fifth time.