2 : CARAPAZ DOUBLES UP
Winning solo this Thursday after climbing the Orcières-Merlette ascent at an average speed of 23.4 km/h, Richard Carapaz secured the second Tour de France victory of his career, as for Ecuador. The climber had previously triumphed on stage 17 of the 2024 edition. He thus becomes the fifty-first rider in history to claim at least two victories on French roads. The former polka-dot jersey winner brings his total number of Grand Tour stage wins to nine (two at the Tour, three at La Vuelta and four at the Giro).
3 : THE STREAK CONTINUES
With Richard Carapaz’s victory in the Alpine ski resort this Thursday, the EF Education – EasyPost team has now won a stage in each of the last three editions of the Tour de France. Carapaz kicked off this streak at Superdévoluy in 2024, followed next by the Irish Ben Healy who achieved the feat the previous year at Vire. Among the other teams competing in the 2026 Tour de France, Soudal – Quick-Step holds the record with fourteen consecutive editions, having secured at least one victory every year since 2013 ! Thanks to their opening win in Barcelona, Visma – Lease a Bike, under its various names, has claimed victories in the last ten editions (since 2017). UAE Emirates-XRG’s winning streak, extended by the successes of Tadej Pogacar and Isaac del Toro this year, dates back to 2020. Alpecin-Premier Tech has even managed the feat of winning at least twice every summer since making its debut in 2021.
40 : STILL KING OF THE MOUNTAIN
Still leading the mountains classification at the end of this 18th stage, Tadej Pogacar has secured the 40th polka-dot jersey of his Tour career. However, the Slovenian, who has already brought this jersey to Paris three times, remains thirty points behind Lucien Van Impe (70), himself far behind the record-holder Richard Virenque, who led the Tour's mountains classification on 96 occasions.
6 : ONE LAST CHANGE ?
The battle for the polka-dot jersey is heating up ! By picking up 23 points in the mountains classification this Thursday, Valentin Paret-Peintre has closed the gap to leader Tadej Pogacar to just a single point (70 vs 69). The French, who also faces a challenging Richard Carapaz (63 points), now has a genuine shot at claiming the coveted jersey over the next three days, with no fewer than 114 points still up for grabs before the finish on the Champs-Élysées. There is reason for optimism, as the polka-dot jersey has been won during the final three stages on six previous occasions. While Giancarlo Bellini was the first to pull off this feat, snatching it from Lucien Van Impe on the penultimate day of the 1976 edition, five other riders have done so in the 21st century. In 2011, Samuel Sanchez took it from Jelle Vanendert, before Nairo Quintana claimed it from Chris Froome in 2013, then the British himself took it from Romain Bardet the day before the final finish in 2015. More recently, Tadej Pogacar seized it in 2020 at the expense of Richard Carapaz, before the Ecuadorian returned the favor in 2024 against... Pogacar.
2 : OLYMPIC SHAPE
The Olympic rings are shining this July. For the first time in the Tour de France’s history, thanks to Remco Evenepoel’s double win (stages 15 and 16) and Richard Carapaz’s victory (stage 18), a reigning Olympic champion and a former road race gold medalist have both raised their arms in triumph during the same edition. Before Evenepoel, who won gold in Paris in 2024, and Carapaz, victorious in Tokyo in 2021, only five riders had won stages at the Tour after claiming an Olympic title, though never in the same year. Among them are Samuel Sanchez (2011), Olaf Ludwig (1990, 1992, 1993) and Hennie Kuiper (1976, 1977, 1978).
2 X 2 : ALL-ROUND RIDER
In fine form as the Tour de France nears its conclusion, Mauro Schmid finished second at Orcières-Merlette this Thursday… just as he did the day before in Voiron ! The Swiss rider, who had already won stage 13 in Belfort (which included the ascent of the Ballon d’Alsace), thus confirms his qualities as an all-round rider, equally on rolling terrain and in the mid-mountains. While stage 17 to Voiron involved a total elevation gain of 2,200 metres and finished at an altitude of 295 metres, today’s stage climbed 1,530 metres higher, totaling 3,900 metres of elevation gain. The caliber of the riders who beat him highlights his exceptional versatility, first the sprinter Jasper Philipsen, then the pure climber Richard Carapaz.
6 : PINK ATTACK
Aggressive from the day's first climb right through to the final ascent, where he came alone to claim victory at Orcières-Merlette, Richard Carapaz secured the combativity award this Thursday. The Ecuadorian, who spent 146 kilometres in the breakaway at an average speed of 39.9 km/h over rolling terrain, received the honor for the sixth time in his career. This puts him two awards ahead of his teammate Ben Healy, his closest rival among this year's competitors. Having won the prize three times since the Grand Départ in Barcelona, matching French Baptiste Veistroffer, Carapaz could equal the record held by Giovanni Battaglin (who won four such awards in 1979) if he claims the honor once more.
