Serie A Ecuadoriana

Tadej Pogacar and all the other riders in the top 10 cross the line in a group of around 15 riders around four and a half minutes down on the winner, Richard Carapaz. Something of a GC truce today with the Alpe d’Huez double header coming up.

It’s successive second places for Mauro Schmid of Jayco-AlUla, who is in the form of his life. Second in a sprint yesterday and now second on a mountain top finish – just days after he won Stage 13 to Belfort.

Matteo Jorgenson’s wait for a first Grand Tour stage win continues as the American from Visma-Lease a Bike takes third.

Valentin Paret-Peintre a distant fourth for Soudal Quick-Step as the host nation still await their first win of the Tour.

It’s a well-earned win for Richard Carapaz and EF Education-EasyPost, who have animated a lot of the Tour in search of the win they now have.

It will take an almighty collapse to stop Carapaz from winning now. He has the bull by the horns as he passes under the flamme rouge with a grimace, which will soon be an euphotic smile as he wins in Orcieres-Merlette.

France’s long wait for a stage win will continue – and it’s a double whammy for Paret-Peintre who, at this rate, won’t even move into the lead in the KOM standings. He needs to be in the top three to take the jersey off Pogacar outright – but he’ll be one point short if he comes fourth.

It’s looking that way at the moment because Schmid and Jorgenson have dropped the Frenchman. Carapaz, meanwhile, is 33 seconds clear and on his way to a ninth Grand Tour stage win.