Stage 18 Breakdown:

Stage 18 takes the riders on a mountainous 185.2km journey from Voiron to Orcières-Merlette. The first stage of the final Alpine trilogy features around 3900m of climbing and marks the return of summit finishes after a time trial and flat stage. While none of the climbs are exceptionally steep, the accumulated elevation and uphill finish make this a key day for the GC contenders, with little room left to recover before Paris.

The riders begin climbing early with the Côte d’Engins before tackling the Côte de Monteynard and the Côte des Terrasses. The terrain then remains relentlessly undulating as the race heads deeper into the Alps, with the Côte de Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes softening the legs before the final climb. The climb to Orcières-Merlette is 7.1km at an average gradient of 6.7%. Although not among the steepest summit finishes of the race, it comes at the end of a demanding day and offers plenty of opportunities for the strongest climbers to make the difference.

The GC teams are expected to keep the race under control throughout the stage, especially with only two mountain stages remaining after this one. A strong breakaway could still have a chance if the favorites are content to mark each other, but the uphill finish and the importance of the Alpine stages make it more likely that the battle for the yellow jersey will decide the outcome. Expect the favorites to test each other on the final climb, with the strongest climbers likely to fight for both the stage victory and valuable time gains.

Favorites:
| +++ | Tadej Pogačar, Remco Evenepoel, Isaac del Toro
| ++ | Richard Carapaz, Thymen Arensman, Paul Seixas
| + | Tobias H. Johannessen, Tom Pidcock