Stage 20 was, in some ways, a microcosm of how punishing the 2026 Tour de France has been. The Queen Stage saw 5,450 meters of total elevation gain across the Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Télégraphe, and the Col du Galibier before finishing on the Alpe d’Huez via the back door of the Col de Sarenne. EF Education-EasyPost’s Richard Carapaz went on an early break to hoover up maximum KOM points across the summits, locking down the polka-dot jersey before the final fireworks began.
The battle for the stage win boiled down to a duel on the Sarenne between Carapaz and Sepp Kuss. The American looked poised to spoil the Ecuadorian’s day after dropping him near the summit, but the Visma-Lease a Bike climber’s luck ran out on the descent. Kuss hit the deck twice, allowing Carapaz to fly past with six kilometers remaining and solo to his tenth career Grand Tour stage victory. Kuss salvaged third on the day, just behind Remco Evenepoel who launched a late flyer to take second.
Further back, the general classification battle took a turn for the wholesome. With his own record-equalling fifth Tour de France victory effectively secured, Tadej Pogačar worked as a domestique for for his teammate Isaac del Toro. The Maillot Jaune paced the Mexican all the way to the line, both riders finishing arm-in-arm to secure Del Toro the white jersey and the final spot on the overall podium alongside Evenepoel in Paris.