Ben Healy has been one of the most aggressive riders on the Tour de France and his relentless work rate helped team mate Richard Caraoaz to stage 18 victory (Photo: Thomas Maheux)
The record books will show Richard Carapaz took a solo victory on stage 18 of Tour de France 2026, but his EF Education-EasyPost's team mate Ben Healy's fingerprints were all over the victory into Orcières-Merlette.
Healy may not have had the legs in the early part of this race that he had last year, as the heat has really undermined his performance. But he has looked very lively of late, clocking up 500km up the road in the past five road stages.
And with two stages to come to Alpe d’Huez, the Irish rider can have a big say about who wins the next stage stages, and maybe even take a victory himself given the form he has ridden into.
At the start of stage 18, his team was moving as a unit with a relentless series of attacks. They were intent on getting Carapaz or Healy, perhaps both, clear in a group that could go on to contest for the stage win.
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Healy was perhaps the most active rider in the early phase of the race. But the repeated attacks he joined were reeled in every time. Nobody wanted to let him go, while he was also unlucky that he was not present when the important move went.
The eventual winning breakaway that Carapaz, far right in pink, initially missed bit which Healy helped him get across to (Photo: Thomas Maheux)
That jumped clear about 50km into the 185km stage, with that group containing: Mads Pedersen (Lidl Trek), Thymen Arensman (Netcompany Ineos), Felix Engelhardt (Team Jayco AlUla), Matteo Jorgenson (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Pablo Castrillo (Movistar Team), Nicolas Breuillard (TotalEnergies) and Nicolas Breuillard (TotalEnergies).
EF Education-EasyPost had missed the boat, despite all of their attacking in the first hour, and so Healy went to the front and drilled it after the escapees.
Healy and Carapaz then took turns to attack in small groups, but were brought back each time. However, after the breakaway had been clear for just over 20km, Carapaz managed to get away with his rival of the climbers' jersey, Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step).
Jasper Stuyven and Louis Vervaeke, both also of Soudal Quick-Step, was with them, ensuring the Belgian team riders worked hard to try and catch the leaders. Healy then joined, in a counter attack, and got to the front to ensure Carapaz had the best chance of getting across to the front group.
After emptying themselves for their team mates, Healy, Stuyven and Vervaeke were dropped. However, Carapaz and Paret-Peintre caught the leaders with 94km to go. Healy then spent a huge portion of the remainder of the stage in a chasing group between the leaders and the peloton.
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Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates-XRG hasn't put a foot wrong and the only thing that could stop him winning overall now is the illness that has hit his team (Photo: Thomas Maheux)
When the leaders raced onto the final climb of the day, the Orcières-Merlette (7.1km at 6.7 per cent), up to the finish line, Carapaz made his winning move with 3.6km to go. The was final move in a series of attacks that broke the small group still with him at that point.
He raced to the top of the climb for victory, winning by 45 seconds from Mauro Schmid (Team Jayco AlUla) and Jorgenson.
The group containing race leader, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), and all of the GC favourite was 4:35 back and sprinting for 8th place on the day. Healy, after 119km up the road, was 60th at 16:23.
There is no change in the overall ahead of two stages based around Alpe d'Huez. Pogačar - whose team has been hit by illness - leads Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull Bora-hansgrohe) by 4:32.
Isaac del Tor0 (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) is 3rd at 6;51, and leads the young rider classification. Teenager Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) is 4th at 7:11.
And though the overall victory looks assured for Pogačar, unless the illness in the team camp gets him, a fascinating battle remains for the podium places.
Though Evenepoel has ridden a fantastic race so far, and won two stages, Del Toro and Seixas are battling amongst themselves for the white jersey. And both could overtake Evenepoel if he falters in the Alps
🔻 A strong attack, followed by a final kilometre at full throttle before celebrating a magnificent victory – well done, Richard Carapaz!
🔻 Un démarrage tranchant puis un dernier kilomètre à fond avant de célébrer une magnifique victoire, bravo Richard Carapaz !#TDF2026 |… pic.twitter.com/In0rctNVYr
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 23, 2026
