'I was angry with him' - Carapaz frustrated at Martinez after taking Tour de France KOM lead

The cream well and truly rises to the top in the third week of a Grand Tour, and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) has been the epitome of that sentiment. 

Rewarded for his combative efforts with a victory on stage 18 to Orcières-Merlette just days after being denied by Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) on stage 15 to Le Markstein, the former Olympic champion almost held off the race leader once more after an epic battle on Alpe d’Huez.

It was ultimately not meant to be. Carapaz finished third atop the mighty mountain, nine seconds behind Pogačar, who closed a gap of well over three minutes on the climb, with Lenny Martinez (Bahrain-Victorious) taking second, three seconds in front of the Ecuadorian. 

Despite missing out on the stage win, his breakaway exploits yielded massive rewards with Carapaz leapfrogging from tenth to eighth in the GC, now sitting 21:15 behind Pogačar. 

However, more importantly to the Ecuadorian, his exploits have seen him rise into the lead of the mountains classification, with one final alpine stage remaining.

Starting the day third on 63 points, trailing Pogačar by seven and Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) by six, he ends stage 19 on 91 points, leapfrogging his rivals into the polka-dot jersey.

Having won the KOM classification in 2024, and stood on the final Tour de France podium in 2021 when finishing third overall, Carapaz's ultimate ambition is to stand on the final podium in Paris once more with the polka-dot jersey on his back. 

"Yes. Well, ultimately, we had one thing in mind, and that was the jersey, right? I think that was the motivation for the day," Carapaz stated in his post-stage interview. 

"We knew there were points available, and well, that’s how the race played out. Anyway, I’m happy to have the jersey for now. We have a mission for Paris, so time to recover, and tomorrow will be another big day."

That mission will go down to the absolute wire. Following Pogačar's record-breaking ascent of the 21 hairpins, the yellow jersey sits just behind on 90 points, with Paret-Peintre still in contention on 84. 

Holding a fragile single-point advantage, Carapaz remains defiant about his aggressive approach ahead of the final mountain showdown.

"Yes. Well, ultimately... there are a lot of points up for grabs tomorrow, so we’ll give it a shot," Carapaz explained when asked about the one-point gap to Pogačar. "I think if I have the legs, I have to try everything. It’s the only chance we have, right?"

Another subplot was the duel between Carapaz and Martinez throughout the stage. The Ecuadorian admitted he was frustrated with the Frenchman after an incident on the final corner.

"Lenny cut in front of me on the final corner, which is why I was angry with him," Carapaz told Eurosport. "He did not cooperate at the beginning either, and then he cut me off in the corner."

When asked about his recent climbing displays and it being proposed that he currently has "legs of fire," the Ecuadorian acknowledged his historical ability to thrive deep into a Grand Tour.

"Yes, well, I think, like every year, the final week has always been my favourite, because my legs are firing, and I’m going to make the most of it," said Carapaz.

"We have a great mission for Paris, and well... we’re going to go for it.”