Fight for King of the Mountains jersey heating up at Tour de France

Orcieres-Merlette, France – Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz said he would now target the King of the Mountains polka-dot jersey after claiming victory on the 18th stage of the Tour de France on Thursday.Carapaz surged clear of his five breakaway companions with just over 3 kilometers remaining in the 185.2-km stage from Voiron to Orcieres-Merlette in the Alps.The points he gained on the line saw him move to just seven behind overall race leader Tadej Pogacar in the King of the Mountains competition.Two years ago, the 33-year-old won both a stage and the mountains jersey.Now, he wants to emulate that feat, although he admitted it would be a tough ask with two brutal mountain stages finishing atop the iconic Alpe d’Huez climb to come.“I knew that today was a good stage for a breakaway but the com