The 3-time champion stays 4 minutes, 24 seconds ahead of rival Jonas Vingegaard with two days left after Friday’s stage is shortened because of infected cows.

It was Thymen Arensman who was able to put together a gritty ride to take home the stage win. With about 13km to go, Thymen Arensman made an aggressive push to separate himself from Vingegaard and Pogačar. He built his lead up to over 30+ seconds between him and the yellow group of Pogačar and Vingegaard.

Stage 18 featured three extremely difficult ascents, including the 26.4-kilometer daunting climb of the Col de La Loze up to the finish. At 2,304 meters of altitude, La Loze is the highest summit in this year’s Tour.