Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz emerged from a six-man group to climb to victory on the Alpine 18th stage of the Tour de France on Thursday.

The former Giro d’Italia winner attacked his breakaway companions with just over three kilometres to ride and cruised to his second Tour stage victory, with Swiss Mauro Schmid beating American Matteo Jorgenson to second place.

Carapaz also closed in on the polkadot jersey for the King of the Mountains competition — which he won in 2024 when he earned his first stage win.

Frenchman Valentin Paret-Peintre came close to stripping race leader Tadej Pogacar of the polkadot jersey, but fell one place and one point short as he came home in fourth.

Carapaz is now just seven points behind the Slovenian.

Pogacar came home in a group of 13 riders containing the top 10 in the overall standings to maintain his four-and-a-half-minute lead over Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel.

But with back-to-back finishes on Alpe d’Huez from Friday, Pogacar suffered a blow as one of his key team-mates, Brandon McNulty, abandoned the race.

A day after another team-mate in Adam Yates struggled off the back of the peloton, McNulty was forced to quit as he lagged well off the pace.

Both Yates and McNulty are key mountain lieutenants for Pogacar.

Yates had been suffering from an upset stomach and yet another team-mate in Tim Wellens complained on Thursday morning that he did not feel well.

The difference was felt at the start of the final 7km climb to the finish when Pogacar had only two team-mates left — Isaac Del Toro and Felix Grossschartner.

Normally on such a stage, he would have had at least two more.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)