Tour de France Worries for Pogacar as Illness Sweeps Team 2026

The Tour de France has taken a dramatic turn as race leader Tadej Pogacar faces uncertainty after a virus swept through his UAE Team Emirates XRG. Richard Carapaz won stage 18 with a bold attack, but Pogacar's teammates are falling ill, raising concerns for the final mountain stages.

Stage 18: Carapaz Wins While Pogacar's Team Struggles

Richard Carapaz of EF Education-EasyPost claimed victory in stage 18, a demanding 179.5 km route from Voiron to Orcières-Merlette featuring five categorized climbs. He escaped from a six-rider breakaway with a lone attack in the final 7 km ascent. The win marks his second mountain stage victory in the Alps within a year.

Meanwhile, Pogacar finished safely in the main group, but his team is in disarray. American rider Brandon McNulty abandoned the race with 21 km remaining, and both Tim Wellens and Florian Vermeersch showed signs of struggle. Wellens admitted to a sore throat before the stage, raising fears that the illness is spreading.

Impact on the General Classification

Pogacar still holds a commanding 4-minute 32-second lead over Remco Evenepoel, but the next two days feature brutal mountain finishes on Alpe d'Huez. Without full support from his team, defending the yellow jersey becomes much harder. History shows that illnesses in the third week can derail even the strongest contenders.

Team Health Crisis

UAE Team Emirates has been hit hardest since Monday's rest day. Adam Yates already struggled on the road to Voiron, and now McNulty's abandonment leaves Pogacar with only three remaining teammates. Evenepoel's team, by contrast, remains intact. The psychological toll is also evident: Pogacar unusually swapped his yellow shorts for black, a move that fueled speculation about his own health.

McNulty's exit may also stem from injuries suffered when a car hit him during a reconnaissance ride for Tuesday's time trial. He had been nursing those wounds, but the virus compounded the issue.

Key Takeaways from Stage 18

• Richard Carapaz wins with a solo attack, moving up in the mountains classification.
• UAE Team Emirates loses Brandon McNulty to illness; two other riders unwell.
• Pogacar's lead remains large, but mountain stages on Alpe d'Huez loom.
• Carapaz narrowly avoided a collision with a fan earlier in the stage.
• Wellens confirms sore throat, hinting at a wider bug within the team.

Looking Ahead: The Final Mountain Stages

Friday's stage 19 finishes atop Alpe d'Huez, a legendary climb with 21 hairpin bends. Saturday's stage 20 is a shorter but explosive mountain route. If Pogacar's team cannot control the pace, rival teams like Soudal-QuickStep and Visma-Lease a Bike will attack. Evenepoel is only 4:32 behind and has shown climbing prowess. The next 48 hours will decide the 2025 Tour de France champion.

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