It’s time for the grand Alpine finale! On the eighteenth day of racing, you might think Paris is on the horizon, but a few giants still loom large on the peloton’s route, starting with the Orcières-Merlette climb this Thursday. This category 1 ascent is less daunting than the hors-catégorie monsters awaiting the riders with a double finale at Alpe d’Huez on Friday and Saturday. But stage 18 features no less than 3,900 metres of elevation gain (400 metres more than Friday’s stage). And the opportunities to do battle are dwindling as the peloton heads towards Orcières-Merlette, where one cannot help but recall the great attack by Luis Ocaña, who won on these slopes in 1971.
Since then, the Tour has regularly returned to the ski resort perched at an altitude of 1,850 metres. The last time, in 2020, Primož Roglič was the only rider ahead of Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian rider from UAE Emirates XRG has a special memory of that race: it was his first podium finish at the Tour. Since then, he has got into the habit of sweeping all before him, and he makes it a point of honour to win on the stages where he has been beaten in the past. This year, he has also made a habit of supporting the ambitions of his team-mate Isaac del Toro, whose explosive pace could be perfectly suited to the Orcières-Merlette finish. But last weekend, this duo were outclassed by Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)... As for Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM), he is ready to pounce on the slightest opportunity to gain time on the Mexican, who is 20 seconds ahead of him in the race for the podium and the white jersey.
The usual contenders for mountain stage attacks have set their sights on the finish at Orcières-Merlette. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5), Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), Thymen Arensman (Netcompany Ineos), Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) and Pablo Castrillo (Movistar) have already made several attempts since the start, and now have another chance to finally raise their arms in victory in this 2026 edition. The French riders’ chances of securing a maiden victory are dwindling as the peloton approaches Paris. Riders such as the polka-dot jersey wearer Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) are sure to be inspired.
