Stage 18 of the 2026 Tour de France covered 185.2 kilometers (115 miles), starting from Voiron and concluding at the famous summit at Orcières-Merlette. This was one of the most challenging mountain stages of the race, resulting in an exciting finish where Richard Carapaz earned his first stage win of the 2026 Tour.
The climbing challenges began early with the Côte d'Engins, a category 1 ascent where Valentin Paret-Peintre surged ahead to seize the first mountain points of the day. The peloton then tackled the category 2 climb of Côte de Monteynard, with Paret-Peintre again reaching the summit first, continuing his dominant force in the day’s mountain contests.
Next came the Côte des Terrasses, a category 3 ascent. Paret-Peintre pressed on to
collect more mountain points, narrowing Tadej Pogačar’s lead in the King of the Mountains competition by 10 points.
The final category 1 ascent to Orcières-Merlette set the stage for a thrilling six-rider showdown in the closing kilometers. With the summit and stage victory in sight, Richard Carapaz launched a decisive attack in the final stretch to claim his first Tour stage win of the year and second career overall.
Here is a look at the Tour de France standings as it heads into Stage 19.
Tour de France results: Stage 18
Final results of the 185.2-kilometer Stage 18 from Voiron to Orcières-Merlette, at the 2026 Tour de France on Thursday, July 23.
*Results and times are via Tour de France website*
2026 Tour de France standings
Through Stage 18
Watch Tour de France with Peacock
2026 Tour de France jersey leaders after Stage 18
- Yellow (overall race leader): Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia
- Green (points): Mads Pedersen, Denmark
- Polka dot (mountains): Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia
- White (young rider): Isaac Del Toro, Mexico
2026 Tour de France Stage 19: How to watch, start time route and distance
- Date: Friday, July 24, 2026
- Time: Coverage starts at 7 a.m. ET
- Location: Gap to l’Alpe d’Huez
- Distance: 127.9 kilometers (79.5 miles)
- TV: NBC Sports Network
- Streaming: Peacock
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Richard Carapaz's late attack secures victory in Stage 18 of the 2026 Tour de France
