Pogacar’s Historic Fifth Victory
Tadej Pogacar has claimed his fifth Tour de France title, matching the record held by cycling legends Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain. The 27-year-old UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider crossed the finish line on Paris’ Champs-Élysées as part of the peloton, securing his third consecutive Tour win. This achievement follows a dominant performance throughout the three-week Grand Tour, including a record-breaking ascent on stage 19 at Alpe d’Huez.
Pogacar’s victory places him among the sport’s most successful male riders. His career includes wins in numerous major races such as the Tour of Flanders, Giro d’Italia, Milan-San Remo, Road World Championships, Giro di Lombardia, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He now has 126 wins in an eight-year professional career.
The overall podium saw Pogacar in first place, followed by Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe in second, and Pogacar’s teammate Isaac del Toro in third. Del Toro also secured the white jersey for the best young rider, a classification he clinched at the expense of Paul Seixas. Pogacar notably aided Del Toro on Saturday’s ‘queen’ stage to Alpe d’Huez, consolidating Del Toro’s podium position.
Dramatic Final Stage in Paris
The final stage of the Tour de France saw a dramatic finish in Paris, with Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Premier Tech securing the stage victory. The Netherlands rider charged away with 11km remaining, alongside Pogacar, over the cobbled climb of Montmartre. Van der Poel managed to stay ahead of a rapidly closing chasing pack, ultimately winning by a narrow margin over Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek.
The stage, originally planned for 133km, was reduced to 89km due to the redirection of emergency services to address wildfires in south-west France. Van der Poel’s win on the Champs-Élysées adds to his list of prestigious one-day race victories, including multiple wins in Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. He expressed his excitement after the race, stating it was a dream come true after watching the stage from home last year due to illness.
The final lap on the Champs-Élysées saw intense action, with teams like Decathlon-CMA CGM working to close the gap on the leaders. Despite the efforts of the peloton, Van der Poel maintained his lead to claim the stage win. Pedersen, who finished second in the stage, also secured the green points jersey for his tenacious riding throughout the race, beating out sprinters like Jasper Philipsen.
Other Jersey Winners and Notable Performances
Beyond the yellow and white jerseys, other classifications were also decided. Richard Carapaz of EF Education-Easypost claimed the polka dot jersey for the king of the mountains for the second time in his career, accumulating 56 points more than Pogacar. Carapaz demonstrated strong form in the latter part of the race, winning stage 18 and stage 20 after conquering the race’s highest points.
Lidl-Trek secured the team classification, maintaining a significant advantage over UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Their success was bolstered by Pedersen’s green jersey win and strong general classification finishes from Mattias Skjelmose and Juan Ayuso. British rider Tom Pidcock of Pinarello-Q36.5 finished ninth in the general classification, building on his third-place finish in last year’s Vuelta a España, though his team, Netcompany Ineos Cycling, did not record a stage victory.
Jonas Vingegaard, a past rival of Pogacar and winner in 2022 and 2023, abandoned the race after breaking his collarbone on stage 15. This incident led to scrutiny of the International Testing Agency (ITA), which had conducted early morning anti-doping tests on riders, including Vingegaard and Pogacar. The results of these tests are not yet known.
The Tour de France 2026 concluded with the passing of the Grand Depart trophy to Great Britain for 2027, with a start planned in Edinburgh.
Source: bbc.co.uk
As Latest News UK's Sports Reporter, Hannah Whitfield reports on tennis, cricket and athletics for readers across the country. She built her name covering the county circuit and Team GB at two Commonwealth Games. She holds a degree in Sport and Media from Loughborough University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Hannah lives in Bristol, where she plays club tennis and coaches a junior side. “Sport is at its best when you let the athletes tell the story.”