Richard Carapaz seizes a decisive late attack on the final climb to Orcières-Merlette to claim his second Tour de France stage win, finishing 45 seconds ahead of Mauro Schmid and Matteo Jorgenson. Pogacar, not contesting the stage, extended his overall lead to 4 minutes 32 seconds over Remco Evenepoel as the race moves into the Alps. The stage featured a six-man break that gradually splintered on the final ascent, with Carapaz timing his surge to perfection around 3.5 kilometers from the summit. The result boosted EF Education-EasyPost’s momentum on the podium, while UAE Team Emirates-XRG faced setbacks as Brandon McNulty abandoned with throat issues and Adam Yates battled illness. Valentin Paret-Peintre had dominated the day’s mountain points earlier, pressing the polka-dot competition and narrowing the classification gap. With two brutal Alpine stages to come, the race remained highly competitive as riders pursued stage glory and crucial GC seconds.