Stage 18 delivered another dramatic twist in this year’s Tour de France, with fireworks both in the GC battle and the fight for the stage win. The day belonged to Ben O’Connor, who timed his attack to absolute perfection to claim a brilliant solo victory — his first of this Tour and a masterclass in patience and power.

Further down the road, the GC drama played out on the brutal final climb. Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard were locked in another fierce battle, but this time it was more of a war of attrition than a full-throttle duel. Pogačar slowly ground Vingegaard down before dropping him in the final kilometres. The Dane, visibly cracked, later described it as the hardest stage he has ever done.

Meanwhile, Florian Lipowitz lost time after being distanced early and received no help from teammate Primož Roglič, who chose not to assist when Lipowitz needed it most — a move that could spark questions inside the team.

With the mountain points collected throughout the day, Pogačar also took over the lead in the polka dot jersey classification, adding yet another prize to his growing ambitions.

It was a punishing, pivotal day — and with just a few stages left, the Tour is far from over.