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Becoming King TdF26-98
Still fighting with each other to claim the Maillot a Pois, it is again Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-Quick Step) outsprinting Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) over the summit of the Ballon d'Alsace. The pair were followed by Tobias Johannessen (Uno X-Mobility) and the rest of the eight-man breakaway. With just one more climb in today's stage Paret-Peintre is the virtual Maillot a Pois, but the final climb is very close to the end of the stage. He will need to still be off the front which may be tough if the guys fighting for a better position on the general classification attack on the way up the Col du Haag. However, he may be wearing it tomorrow regardless assuming Pogacar keeps the lead in the King of the Mountains. Only time, and climbing, will tell the tale. Alas, the end of the stage, and Paret-Peintre's legs made it so he now sits second in his quest to own the Maillot a Pois. Carapaz sits just four points behind him, now in the third ahead of Jonas Vingegaard.