Richard Carapaz of Ecuador secured victory in the final mountain stage of the Tour de France on Saturday, marking his second stage win in three days. The EF Education-EasyPost rider also claimed the mountains classification.
The stage saw American Sepp Kuss crash twice in the closing kilometres. Kuss, who was part of an early breakaway with Carapaz and Jai Hindley, had attacked with 17 kilometres remaining and established a lead. However, after crashing in a tunnel and then again on a descent, Carapaz overtook him.
Carapaz finished 31 seconds ahead of Kuss. Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe passed Kuss in the final metres to take second place, 26 seconds behind Carapaz, with Kuss finishing third.
Pogacar’s Lead and Team Support
Race leader Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates-XRG safely navigated the penultimate stage and is expected to secure his fifth Tour de France title on Sunday. He holds a lead of six minutes and 26 seconds over Evenepoel in the general classification.
Pogacar, who is 27, finished the stage in fourth place. He dedicated his efforts to supporting his 22-year-old Mexican teammate, Isaac del Toro, who provisionally secured third place on the overall podium and the young rider classification’s white jersey. Pogacar and Del Toro crossed the finish line together, with Pogacar pacing a struggling Del Toro up the final climb.
Pogacar expressed his appreciation for his team’s work, stating, “I finally experienced [being a domestique] myself and I already before appreciate [the] work of team-mates, but now it’s like another level.” He described crossing the line with Del Toro as “fantastic and one for the memories.”
Del Toro strengthened his hold on third place overall, dropping French teenager Paul Seixas on the Col de Sarenne. Seixas, who started the day 24 seconds behind Del Toro, faded to tenth on the stage and now trails Del Toro by 2:14 overall.
Final Stage Shortened Due to Wildfires
The final stage of the Tour de France on Sunday will be shortened from 133 kilometres to 89 kilometres. This decision was made by race organizers ASO and the police prefecture to allow security personnel to be redeployed to assist with wildfires in the south-west of France, particularly near Bordeaux and Biscarrosse.
The stage will now commence on the Champs-Élysées, featuring two laps of the avenue followed by circuits of the Butte de Montmartre. This marks the third stage of this year’s race to be affected by prefecture intervention due to wildfires or a heatwave.
Wildfires around the Arcachon lagoon near Bordeaux and around Biscarrosse, in the Landes, have destroyed more than 36,000 hectares of forest. The ministry of the interior decided to redeploy internal security forces initially mobilized for the final stage to reinforce response efforts in the affected areas.
Incidents and Safety Concerns
The chaotic climb on Friday’s stage to Alpe d’Huez raised significant concerns regarding rider and fan safety. Incidents included in-race motorbikes being blocked by crowds, which stalled an attack from Evenepoel.
A lack of crowd control led to Movistar climber Einer Rubio abandoning the race after colliding with the rear windscreen of a UAE team car. The crash, which resulted in Rubio being transported by helicopter to a hospital in Grenoble for 20 stitches for facial injuries, was caused by a spectator falling in front of the car, forcing it to brake suddenly.
Race director Thierry Gouvenou commented on the incident, suggesting that if older cars had been used, the accident might not have occurred, seemingly attributing blame to the braking sensors in the car. Footage also showed fans wrestling over gifts from the caravane publicitaire and climbing over moving race vehicles, further highlighting the perceived lack of control.
French national champion Romain Grégoire described spectators as “so drunk that it was more like being slapped on the arse, than getting pushes.” Klaaas Lodewyck, Evenepoel’s Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe sports director, noted that while cheering is acceptable, punching side mirrors and banging on windows crosses a line.
Another incident involved Visma-Lease a Bike’s Sepp Kuss, who crashed on the exit of a tunnel and then nearly fell into a void on a fast bend, being stopped by crash netting alongside the road. Kuss later stated, “My wife won’t let me race my bike anymore – she always tells me not take risks on the downhills, but you’ve got to have a little adrenaline rush every once in a while.”
The spat between Carapaz and French climber Lenny Martinez continued into Saturday morning after the Ecuadorian accused Martinez of “cutting in front” of him on the final corner on Friday. Martinez responded, “I knew I had to be first through the corner. We’re not at Club Med – I’m not letting him go first.”
Other notable performances include Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek, who is set to win the green points jersey in Paris, leading Jasper Philipsen by 82 points. Britain’s Tom Pidcock of Pinarello-Q36.5 finished the stage 16th and is expected to finish ninth overall in the general classification.
The final stage on Sunday will confirm Tadej Pogacar’s expected fifth Tour de France title.
Source: theguardian.com
