PARIS — Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz climbed to victory on the Alpine 18th stage of the Tour de France as race leader Tadej Pogacar lost a key teammate to illness.
Former Giro d’Italia winner Carapaz attacked his five 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.
Pogacar finished safely alongside his main rivals around four-and-a-half minutes later but he was counting the cost of a couple of damaging days as Brandon McNulty was forced to pull out.
That came just a day after another teammate, Adam Yates, struggled home 26 minutes after stage 17 winner Jasper Philipsen after suffering from an upset stomach.
“It’s totally different because Adam had stomach troubles, he was vomiting, and Brandon has a type of constipation,” said UAE Emirates-XRG sports manager Matxin Joxean Fernandez.
“When you don’t have a fever, you’re not positive for covid, nor the flu, nor anything, but your throat hurts, you have mucus, a headache,” Fernandez added according to AFP.
Both McNulty and Yates, whom Pogacar said was getting better, are crucial mountain lieutenants for the reigning champion.
UAE’s problems – Tim Wellens also said that he was not feeling well – could not have come at a worse time.
The next two stages, which both finish atop the iconic Alpe d’Huez mountain, will be brutally tough.
“I’m really sad that Brandon felt so bad and he could not finish,” said Pogacar.
“We will miss him the next two days, obviously, but I think Adam is getting better and I think we’ll go with the flow.
