In brief
Sepp Kuss had built a 20-second advantage over Richard Carapaz after dropping him twice on the Col de Sarenne before his first crash.
Kuss fell first at 7.1 km to go in a tunnel, then again at 5.8 km, where he slid into a safety net on the edge of a ravine.
Richard Carapaz claimed his second stage win of this Tour (after Orcières-Merlette), with Remco Evenepoel taking second and Kuss third.
The team won the opening team time trial in Barcelona; Jonas Vingegaard wore the yellow jersey for two days before abandoning.
- 9 km from finishKuss leads Carapaz by 20 seconds after dropping him on Col de Sarenne.
- 7.1 km from finishFirst crash in a tunnel; Kuss remounts quickly and keeps a narrow advantage.
- 5.8 km from finishSecond crash into a safety barrier above a ravine; Carapaz overtakes.
- Alpe d’Huez finishCarapaz wins. Evenepoel passes Kuss for second; Kuss finishes third.
What happened
Sepp Kuss looked certain to win the 20th stage of the Tour de France on Sunday afternoon after distancing Richard Carapaz twice on the descent of the Col de Sarenne. With less than ten kilometres to the Alpe d’Huez finish, the Visma-Lease a Bike rider held a 20-second advantage. Then, with 7.1 km remaining, he misjudged a corner inside a tunnel and crashed. He remounted quickly enough to keep a narrow lead, but one minute later, at 5.8 km from the line, he lost control again on another bend. This time he slid into the safety netting that separated the road from a ravine, hitting the parapet. Carapaz swept past, and Remco Evenepoel overtook Kuss in the final metres to take second place. Kuss crossed third.
Kuss’s reaction
After the finish, Kuss apologised to his family and described the close call.
“I was so on the limit that I misjudged the corner. First in the tunnel, then afterwards I was still trying to make up too much time and misjudged the next turn. It was a bit scary; sorry to my wife and my family who were watching at home!”
“I’m happy with my fighting spirit and my performance; it was a big day. You can’t always have luck. We can be proud of how we fought as a team. After Jonas [Vingegaard] abandoned, we got the maximum out of every stage. We can be proud of our efforts.”
Team context
Visma-Lease a Bike had opened the Tour with victory in the Barcelona team time trial, and Jonas Vingegaard wore the yellow jersey for two days before withdrawing from the race. Kuss’s near-miss on the Sarenne descent was the team’s last clear shot at a mountain stage win. The 21st and final stage into Paris was shortened to ease the burden on emergency services already stretched by wildfires.