Tour de France Stage 20: Pogacar Crowned & Ricard Carapaz Wins the Stage Again

The Tour de France stage today was excellent, with the riders ascending Alpe d’Huez for the second time in two days. Tadej Pogacar was crowned the winner of the 2026 Tour. American Sepp Kuss fell twice in the last 5 miles to cost himself the lead as Richard Carapaz won the stage.

The tour win for Pogacar is his fifth overall. Tomorrow’s ride to Paris is largely ceremonial, and a day for the sprinters. Pogacar and his teammates will almost certainly drink champagne while they are riding the final stage. The stage tomorrow has been shortened by 25 kilometers because of fires around Paris. Is this the new normal?

Tour de France Stage 20 July 25

Stage 20 of the Tour de France was crazy. Ricard Carapaz won the polka dot jersey and the stage. American Sepp Kuss fell twice in the last five miles of the stage and went from first to third place. Tadej Pogacar finished just barely in the top five, but won the overall classification. This was the most difficult stage of the tour. It is a shame that Kuss could not become the first American to win a Tour stage since 2021 (when he won). Here is how the stage played out.

In the thrilling final miles of the Tour de France stage today, American Sepp Kuss fell twice. Those falls opened the door for Richard Carapaz, who won the stage. Remco Evenepoel caught Kuss as well today and finished second on the stage. Kuss finished third. Tadej Pogacar finished fourth, and Isaac del Toro finished fifth on the stage.

In terms of the overall classification, Tadej Pogacar won the race. It is his fifth victory in the race. Remco Evenepoel was second overall. He was second on the stage today as well. His teammate Isaac Del Toro was third overall. The youngster looks like a future Tour champion. Paul Sexias, the 19-year-old Frenchman, was fourth overall. He is the great French hope. Lenny Martinez was fifth overall.

Carapaz was first over all four of the mountains today (including the Galibier, which is famous). That said, American Sepp Kuss won the most aggressive rider today. That is saying something because this was probably the most difficult stage in Tour de France history.

Yet, it was not to be for Kuss. His two falls inside the last five miles of this stage were too much for him to survive. He faded to third place, and his elbow was bloodied because of the crashes. It was a shame; there has not been an American stage winner since he did it in 2021. This would have been his second ever win in the tour.

Pogacar the Domestique

We saw something odd today as race leader Tadej Pogacar helped teammate Issac del Toro to win the White Jersey. We see strange things when the race lead is so big (this is the largest lead he has ever had); Pogacar is winning by almost seven minutes. Domestiques service their teammates with water and food and pace them. It is the case that team leaders usually have Domestiques serve them. Today, Pogacar served his teammate. It is reported that he and del Toro are the best of friends, so maybe Pogacar taking care of him is not that surprising.

Conclusion

Stage 21, tomorrow, in Paris, is largely ceremonial. The stage has been shortened to 88 kilometers. It is a day for the sprinters to have glory. Rain is forecast, so it should be a slippery sprint in the eternal city. Who will get glory? Tim Merlier, winner of three stages in this tour, has abandoned. This opens the door for another rider. Perhaps Wout Van Aert will win, or maybe Biniam Girmay.