In brief
Richard Carapaz won stage 20 in Alpe d'Huez, his second stage win of this Tour, and secured the mountain classification for the second time after 2024.
Sepp Kuss led until the final descent, where he crashed twice. A safety net prevented serious injury, but Carapaz and Evenepoel overtook him before the finish.
Tadej Pogacar leads by 6:26 minutes going into the final stage, matching the record of five Tour wins held by Anquetil, Hinault, Merckx and Indurain.
Isaac del Toro rode with Pogacar to finish fifth on the stage, cementing his third place overall (9:42 back) and the best young rider classification.
German sprinter Pascal Ackermann abandoned during the stage after the Col de la Croix-de-Fer, saying his legs were at the limit and his big goal had been to reach Paris.
The final stage into Paris is reduced from 133 km to 89 km because of forest fires in southwestern France, with all racing confined to the capital and multiple climbs of Montmartre.
- Final descentKuss leads the stage heading towards the final climb to Alpe d'Huez.
- Kuss crashesThe American falls twice in quick succession; Carapaz passes him.
- FinishCarapaz wins the queen stage; Pogacar and del Toro cross 1:05 later.
Queen stage chaos
On the 20th stage from Le Bourg d'Oisans to Alpe d'Huez, covering 170.9 km and approximately 5,600 metres of climbing, Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) attacked from the breakaway and secured his second stage win of this Tour. The 33-year-old Ecuadorian had already claimed the polka-dot jersey the previous day and cemented his mountain classification lead by summiting the Col du Galibier first. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) took second place on the day, while Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) rode in fourth, arm in arm with teammate Isaac del Toro.
Kuss's double misfortune
Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike), the lone American in contention, was on the verge of a stage victory after five hours of racing. On the final descent before the 4-kilometre climb to Alpe d'Huez, the 31-year-old crashed once and then, moments later, crashed again in a corner. A safety net stretched across the drop-off prevented worse consequences. As Kuss scrambled to recover, Carapaz swept past and could not be caught, winning by a margin of 1:05. Evenepoel also overtook Kuss, pushing him down to third place on the stage.
Pogacar's domestique duty
With an insurmountable lead of 6:26 minutes, Pogacar worked for his Mexican teammate del Toro, setting a hard tempo to reduce the gap to the breakaway and shield del Toro from attacks by Paul Seixas (Decathlon CGA CGM). The strategy paid off: del Toro crossed the line fifth and secured third place overall, 9:42 behind Pogacar, holding onto the white jersey of best young rider. Pogacar, at 27, will draw level with Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and Miguel Indurain on five Tour wins when the race ends in Paris (Lance Armstrong's seven wins were stripped).
Standings with one stage to go
The final general classification is all but decided. Pogacar leads, Evenepoel (the double Olympic champion) is second, and del Toro third. No other rider is within 10 minutes of the lead.
- Tadej Pogacar
- 0 s
- Remco Evenepoel
- 386 s
- Isaac del Toro
- 582 s
Data from the article text
German sprinter Ackermann calls it quits
Pascal Ackermann became the latest high-profile abandonment. The German sprinter, visibly dejected, climbed off his bike during the ascent of the Col de la Croix-de-Fer. Speaking to ZDF, he fought back tears.
“My big goal was to reach Paris. I'm very disappointed.”
Ackermann had crashed into a team vehicle the previous day but refused to use it as an excuse, adding that his legs were simply empty and his knee was adding to the discomfort.
Shortened finale due to forest fires
The 21st and final stage on Sunday will not follow the traditional route into the capital. French authorities have cut the itinerary from the planned 133 km to just 89 km because of severe forest fires in the south-west of the country, where rescue services are stretched. The entire stage will take place within Paris, with repeated ascents of the Montmartre hill, making it exceptionally demanding for the remaining sprinters. The overall classification is not expected to change.