Tadej Pogačar has secured his fifth overall victory in the Tour de France, matching a record held by several cycling legends. The final stage saw a dramatic finish with Mathieu van der Poel claiming the win on the Champs-Élysées.
Pogačar, representing UAE Team Emirates-XRG, completed the three-week Grand Tour with a significant lead in the general classification. His win places him alongside riders such as Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain, who also achieved five overall victories.
Final Stage Drama
The Tour de France 2026 concluded with a shortened final stage around Montmartre and the Champs-Élysées. The distance was reduced from 133km to 89km due to the redirection of emergency services addressing wildfires in the south-west of the country.
The final stage witnessed an intense battle, particularly in the closing kilometres. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) launched a decisive attack, with Pogačar on his wheel, to break away from the peloton.
With 10km remaining, Van der Poel and Pogačar maintained a lead, with Jonas Abrahamsen (UXM) in pursuit. As they approached the final 4km, Decathlon-CMA CGM worked to close the gap, though Van der Poel and Pogačar held an 11-second advantage.
The duo continued to push, holding a 12-second lead over the chase group and 17 seconds on the main peloton as they returned to the Champs-Élysées and circled the Arc de Triomphe. In a thrilling finish, Van der Poel managed to hold off the competition, securing the stage victory.
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) took second place, followed by Mads Pedersen. Van der Poel expressed his long-held desire for this stage win, stating he had been thinking about it since being ill and watching it on television the previous year.
General Classification and Other Jerseys
Pogačar‘s overall victory was by a margin of six minutes and 26 seconds over Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), who finished second in the general classification. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) secured third place overall, nine minutes and 42 seconds behind his teammate, and also claimed the white jersey for the best young rider.
In stage 20, Richard Carapaz (EF Education-Easypost) clinched victory on Alpe d’Huez. Pogačar finished fourth in that stage, notably assisting Del Toro, who was struggling on the Col du Galibier, to maintain his third place and the white jersey.
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) is set to win the green points jersey in Paris, holding an uncatchable lead over Jasper Philipsen. Carapaz also secured victory in the king of the mountains competition.
American rider Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) experienced a challenging stage 20, crashing twice while leading in the final kilometres. Despite the incidents, he managed to continue the race.
Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM), at 19 years old, is expected to finish fourth in the general classification, 11 minutes and 56 seconds behind Pogačar. Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) will finish ninth overall in the general classification.
Pogačar‘s five stage wins throughout the Tour contributed significantly to his overall success. When asked about potentially racing La Vuelta a España, Pogačar responded, “Let’s see.”
Source: cyclingnews.com
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