Richard Carapaz lit up Stage 10 of the Tour de France with a scintillating attack on the Puy Mary.

Richie took off on the upper slopes of the first-category climb deep in the Massif Central and opened up a minute's gap on the group of favorites. Our Olympic champion from Ecuador pushed on up the Col du Pertus before he was caught right before the summit. Richie finished 11th at the finish line in Le Lioran.

EF Education-EasyPost went on the offensive as soon as the commissaire's flag dropped and never let up until Richie got away. Ben Healy and Alex Baudin opened up the attacks, going away with a 31-rider group after a brutal fight to get away from the peloton. They kept up the pace to put pressure on the GC favorites, who chased hard behind them to keep the gap under two minutes. When they were caught, Alex and Ben stuck with Richie in the GC group for as long as possible, helping him stay cool and out of the wind, alongside Sean Quinn, who had managed to stay with the best in the race over the Côte de Pailherols, Col de la Griffoul, Col de Prat de Bouc, and Côte de Murat.

When he and his teammates hit the Puy Mary, Richie knew that his best chance to win was to get ahead of the GC race with a long-range attack. He saw a chance, gritted his teeth, and went.

It didn't work out this time, but La Locomotora's engine is firing, as we head towards the Alps.

"It was a very, very tough race. At the end, I wanted to test myself. I knew it was a pretty tough climb and that a difference could be made. I had a lot of faith in myself, so I wanted to push as hard as I could. I actually built a good gap on the climb, about a minute or so. But on the final second-category climb, I lost a lot of time when the main group came up. We tried, and more than anything, I'm happy about that. I'm prepared for the next good moment. Let's see if we have some luck." – Richard Carapaz

"It was a brilliant team performance. We were in all the right moves with the right people. We knew there was a risk that the early move wouldn't work, and that there'd be a third part with the race opening up midrace. And it was Richie who opened it up. It was a great performance, but it didn't work. We'll try again. If you ride a race with 180 people, and you do what you want to do, and everyone gives their best, and you do it the smartest way, then that's your best race. That's what we've done." – Charly Wegelius, sports director

Richard Carapaz attacked on the Puy Mary with 37.5 kilometers to go in Stage 10. During his 16-minute effort to the summit, Richie averaged 402 watts. That's 6.5 watts per kilogram. La Locomotora is rolling full speed ahead toward the Alps.

Today is Bastille Day. The whole team knew to expect a lot of tricolore flags waving, but we had to ask our resident Frenchman for the story behind his country's national holiday. Le 14 juillet celebrates the 1789 storming of the Bastille, when French revolutionaries overthrew the royal guards at the Bastille — the royal armory, fortress, and prison in the center of Paris. One year later, France celebrated the Fête de la Fédération as the old regime was overthrown in favor of a constitutional monarchy. Today's celebrations honor the French republic.

Chefs Owen and Chris came up with a very French way to help our riders top up their carb stores on Bastille Day. They made the guys crêpes stuffed with riz au lait – a sweet, energy-packed treat to enjoy after dinner.

Ingredients for the riz au lait

2 liters semi-skimmed milk

⁠400 g pudding rice or Arborio rice

80 g caster sugar

⁠40 g honey

2 tsp vanilla paste

Zest of 1 lemon

2 g fine salt

Method for the riz au lait

⁠Bring the milk, vanilla, lemon zest and salt gently to a simmer.

Stir in the rice.

Cook over very low heat for 35–45 minutes, stirring regularly, until the rice is tender and the mixture is creamy but still slightly loose.

⁠Stir in the sugar and honey for the final 3–4 minutes.

⁠Remove from the heat and cover the surface directly.

⁠Chill quickly.

Spread over crêpes and fold into triangles.

Ingredients for the crêpes:

500 g low-fat milk

40 g honey

2.5 g ground cinnamon (about ½ tsp)

250 g plain flour

2.5 g fine salt (about ½ tsp)

4 medium eggs

20 g melted butter (optional, for a more tender crêpe)

½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Method for the crêpes:

Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, and salt.

Add the eggs, honey, and half the milk, whisking until smooth.

Gradually whisk in the remaining milk until the batter is lump-free.

Stir in the melted butter and vanilla, if using.

Rest the batter for 30 minutes (or overnight in the fridge for even better texture).

Cook in a lightly buttered non-stick pan over medium heat, swirling to coat the base. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly golden, flip, and cook for another 30 to 60 seconds.

Stack the cooked crêpes between sheets of baking paper and keep covered until ready to fill.

In the world of professional cycling, bidon is the common term for drink bottle. It comes from French and was originally used to describe the metal canteens that 19th-century soldiers used to carry water on long marches. During cycling's early days, racers carried drinks in these metal bottles, strapped to their handlebars. It was difficult to find enough fluid in the heat of the French summer, so they would also stop in towns to raid local bars and cafes. Fizzy drinks, wine, beer — it was all fair game if it would quench their thirst. Today, soigneurs swarm the race course to hand riders drink bottles made from lightweight materials before they get thirsty. We still call those bottles bidons.