Richard Carapaz Tour success arrived in emphatic style as the EF Education-EasyPost rider won again on Alpe d’Huez.
The Ecuadorian took his second stage victory in three days on stage 20. He also secured an unassailable lead in the mountains classification.
Carapaz now needs only to reach Paris on Sunday to complete a standout Tour de France. He will also finish eighth overall, adding a top-10 placing to his haul.
His Tour was not part of the original plan for the season. Carapaz had built his year around trying to win the Giro d’Italia for a second time.
A perineal cyst changed that schedule and ruled him out of the Italian Grand Tour. Surgery then forced him off the bike for three weeks.
The disruption made his Tour preparation uncertain. Carapaz said the support from EF Education-EasyPost helped him physically, mentally and morally.
Richard Carapaz Tour resurgence peaks in the Alps
Carapaz had already proved his Tour credentials before this race. He finished third overall in 2021 and won a stage and the mountains jersey in 2024.
This year, he again came alive in the final week. His repeated attacks gave EF Education-EasyPost major visibility at the front of the race.
Carapaz said the level keeps rising every year, with climbing and speed records falling. That made the polka dot jersey especially hard to win.
He targeted the final week after losing time when needed early in the race. His aim was to arrive at full strength for the hardest mountain stages.
The approach suited him. Carapaz was born and raised at 2,800 metres, and the high mountains remain his natural terrain.
He said the third week is his favourite part of the Tour. He described EF Education-EasyPost’s execution as spectacular after claiming two stages and the polka dots.
Carapaz also said the team achieved the objective set when the race began in Barcelona.
Alpe d’Huez attack delivers stage 20 victory
Carapaz started the penultimate stage with one clear priority. He wanted the breakaway and the mountains points available across a brutal route.
The stage crossed the Croix de la Fer, Télégraphe, Galibier, Saranne and Alpe d’Huez. That made it decisive for the mountains classification.
Winning the stage began as a secondary ambition. That changed after the Galibier, where Carapaz still had strong legs and useful allies.
He worked with Jai Hindley, Sepp Kuss and Juan Ayuso in the escape. Their advantage over the GC group reached four minutes.
Carapaz said the group had to stay calm despite that gap. He knew the final climb would require a measured half-hour effort.
Kuss attacked on Alpe d’Huez and briefly opened a small gap. Carapaz stayed within six or seven seconds and remained close enough to respond.
The race then turned sharply. Kuss crashed twice on the descent and climb sequence, with netting preventing a serious fall down the mountainside.
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider remounted and continued. However, the crashes ended his chance of winning the stage.
Carapaz took control over the final four kilometres. He rode clear to win by 26 seconds from Remco Evenepoel, with Kuss finishing third.
Carapaz said he suffered heavily on Alpe d’Huez, despite knowing the climb to the last metre. The suffering, he said, was worthwhile.
The victory capped a Tour that combined opportunism, climbing strength and general classification resilience. Few riders matched his impact during the final week.
Only the podium finishers and Tim Merlier, winner of three stages, could clearly claim a more rewarding race.
For Carapaz, the polka dot jersey was the mission. Two stage wins and eighth overall made the achievement far larger.