TdF stage 18: Carapaz atop Orcieres-Merlette

Richard Carapaz won Stage 18 with a searing attack out of the breakaway to Orcieres-Merlette. With the aid from his teammates, Ben Healy, Georg Steinhauser and Kasper Asgreen did huge turns on the front of the peloton. Finally on the Cote de Monteynard, Carapaz powered to the front. He collected KOM points and stayed in front of any splits in the break. On the foot of Orcieres-Merlette, the Olympic champion launched an enormous attack and soared all the way to the summit.

“It’s something that you have to put absolutely everything into. I want to dedicate it to my family. This is the most important thing to me. It was very, very tough day. I was ready to jump across and worry when there was a gap but I managed to with three riders and I was able to jump into the first group. It was a really tough climb. I waited for the right moment, and in the end, it just happened to be at the right time. 

It’s really difficult to win at the Tour. We knew what we were coming here for. We do what we had to do and today ended up being the special day. And we ultimately managed to accomplish what we had wanted for the last couple of weeks. We are really happy.”

-Richard Carapaz (EF Education Easypost)