Relentless Tadej Pogacar wins fifth Tour de France to equal record
Pogacar’s Dominant Performance
Tadej Pogacar secured his fifth Tour de France victory on Sunday, joining a group of cyclists who have achieved this milestone. This win places him alongside Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain. The 2026 race, marked by heatwaves and wildfires, concluded with Pogacar’s win.
Pogacar demonstrated a dominant performance throughout the Tour, setting records on challenging climbs such as the Col du Tourmalet and Alpe d’Huez. He also supported his protégé, Isaac del Toro, who finished third in the final standings. Pogacar won the overall race by nearly six and a half minutes and claimed five stages.
Reflecting on his performance after Saturday’s stage to Alpe d’Huez, Pogacar acknowledged the misfortunes of rivals like Jonas Vingegaard, who crashed out of the race. Despite his success, Pogacar remarked, “It’s the Tour, it’s three weeks. A lot of shit can happen.”
Controversy and Scrutiny
The success of Pogacar has been accompanied by scrutiny regarding his entourage. His team manager, Mauro Gianetti, stated that Pogacar’s strength means there will always be questions surrounding him, regardless of the team. Gianetti also described himself as a “victim” of past scandals involving riders on his teams.
One notable incident was the Saunier Duval scandal in 2008, where Gianetti’s team withdrew from the Tour after their rider, Riccardo Riccò, tested positive for a blood-doping agent. Riccò and teammate Leonardo Piepoli were dismissed, leading to sponsors withdrawing funding. Gianetti expressed regret over his past decisions, stating he should have been more transparent with the press.
Recent events saw Pogacar and rival Vingegaard undergo night-time tests by the Independent Testing Agency. These early morning tests were supported by Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme and the UCI. The UCI described these controls as “an exceptional measure, reserved for limited and justified circumstances.” Pogacar accepted the tests, stating, “If this is necessary to prove that we are riding clean, then I totally accept it. I commit to it.”
Dramatic Final Stage
The final stage in Paris saw a dramatic finish on the Champs-Élysées. Mathieu van der Poel secured his second stage win of the race, narrowly fending off sprinters after breaking away with Pogacar on the final climb of the Butte de Montmartre. Van der Poel described the win as a dream, especially after having to watch the stage on television the previous year due to illness.
The stage was shortened to 89 kilometres from the original 133 kilometres to allow security personnel to be redeployed to address wildfires near Bordeaux, according to organizers and police. Despite the shortened route, the final kilometres were intense, with Van der Poel and Pogacar maintaining a lead over the chase groups and peloton.
Jasper Philipsen finished second in the stage, with Mads Pedersen in third, marking an Alpecin-Premier Tech one-two. The final lap of the race, with 16 kilometres remaining, saw Adam Yates of UAE Team Emirates-XRG leading the peloton. The Montmartre circuit, despite multiple road sweeps, still presented challenges with screws, broken glass, and other debris reported on the climb.
On Saturday, Richard Carapaz of Ecuador won the final mountain stage in Alpe d’Huez, claiming his second stage win in three days and securing the mountains classification. Carapaz completed the 170.9 kilometre route from Le Bourg-d’Oisans. He finished 31 seconds ahead of Sepp Kuss, who crashed twice in the closing kilometres. Remco Evenepoel finished second, 26 seconds behind Carapaz, with Kuss taking third.
Pogacar safely navigated this penultimate stage, maintaining a lead of more than seven minutes over Evenepoel. Instead of pursuing another stage win, the Slovenian focused on supporting his teammate Isaac del Toro, who solidified his third-place position overall. Del Toro finished fifth in the stage, outpacing Paul Seixas, who ended up 10th and trailed Del Toro by 2:14 overall heading into Sunday’s finale in Paris.
The Independent Testing Agency has stated that no public communication is made regarding negative results, and there is no specific date from which all tests can be considered definitively negative.
Source: theguardian.com
