Tadej Pogacar has claimed his record-equalling fifth Tour de France title, crossing the finish line on Paris’ Champs-Elysees. The 27-year-old UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider now joins an elite group of cyclists with five Tour victories, including Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain. This marks Pogacar’s third consecutive Tour win, further solidifying his position in the sport.
The final stage of the three-week Grand Tour saw the Netherlands’ Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Premier Tech secure victory. Van der Poel’s win came after a determined charge on the cobbled streets of the French capital, narrowly beating his team-mate Jasper Philipsen of Belgium.
A Dominant Performance and Historic Achievements
Pogacar’s victory in the Tour de France has led many to consider him among the greatest cyclists of all time. His performance included a record-breaking ascent of Alpe d’Huez on stage 19, where he secured another dominant win. This was one of his five stage victories in the race, showcasing his explosive launch and consistent pace that rivals have found difficult to match.
Throughout his eight-year elite professional career, Pogacar has accumulated 127 wins and has triumphed in almost every major race in cycling. His extensive list of victories includes the Tour of Flanders, Giro d’Italia, Milan-San Remo, Road World Championships, Giro di Lombardia, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. He has now stood on the podium seven times in seven Tours, with five wins.
Despite his success, Pogacar faced some jeers from fans during the Tour, with some expressing frustration that his consistent dominance might be diminishing the competitive edge of the sport. He acknowledged the support of his team and family, stating, “Victory is really special. Thank you to all the fans and my team. But the biggest thanks goes to all my family who support me all my life. My parents – without them I would not be standing here five times already.”
Pogacar also expressed regret for fellow rider Jonas Vingegaard, who crashed out of the race, hoping for a quick recovery and a renewed challenge next year.
Dramatic Final Stage in Paris
The traditional final stage on the Champs-Elysees, usually a ceremonial ride for overall contenders, featured an altered circuit this year. Organisers ASO introduced a route that included a cobbled climb over the city’s Montmartre hill, designed to encourage more powerful riders to compete for the stage victory.
On Sunday, Mathieu van der Poel seized this opportunity, breaking away with 11km remaining alongside Pogacar. The two riders navigated the narrow lanes over Montmartre and past Sacre-Coeur, where spectators’ mobile phones were reportedly knocked from their hands as the cyclists sped past. Pogacar eventually faded, allowing Van der Poel to maintain his lead.
Van der Poel, known for his strength in one-day races, managed to stay ahead of a rapidly closing chasing pack. After crossing the finish line, he collapsed off his bike, breathing heavily. This prestigious win on the famous cobbles adds to his collection of victories in major one-day races, including multiple wins in Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders.
The final stage was shortened from 133km to 89km due to the redeployment of emergency services to address wildfires in south-west France. This was the third stage of the Tour affected by prefecture intervention this year, either due to wildfires or a heatwave.
Key Challengers and Jersey Winners
Pogacar’s main rival in previous Tours, Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, who won in 2022 and 2023, abandoned this year’s race after breaking his collarbone on stage 15. This incident led to scrutiny of the International Testing Agency (ITA), which had conducted an anti-doping test on Vingegaard at 2am. Pogacar also underwent testing at 5am, with the ITA citing “exceptional circumstances” for the rare night tests.
Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe emerged as Pogacar’s other significant rival, finishing six minutes 26 seconds behind in the general classification. Pogacar’s team-mate, Isaac del Toro of Mexico, secured third place overall. Del Toro, 22, also claimed the white jersey for the best young rider, a result aided by Pogacar’s strategic support, including sacrificing a potential victory on Saturday’s ‘queen’ stage to Alpe d’Huez to consolidate Del Toro’s podium position.
The white jersey came at the expense of France’s 19-year-old rider Paul Seixas of Decathlon-CMA CGM, who showed strength on climbs but faded later in the race. Many in the cycling community believe Seixas could become a future rival to Pogacar.
Among the other jersey winners, Richard Carapaz of EF Education-Easypost, from Ecuador, earned the king of the mountains’ polka dot jersey. Carapaz, who won stage 18 and stage 20, accumulated significant climbing points over 5,450km of ascents. The green points jersey was awarded to Denmark’s Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek, who demonstrated tenacious riding on challenging climbs and won stage four.
British rider Tom Pidcock of Pinarello-Q36.5, who won on Alpe d’Huez four years prior, finished ninth in the general classification, building on his third-place finish in last year’s Vuelta a Espana. Fellow Briton Adam Yates, 33, also showed resilience, assisting Pogacar on a climb for victory on stage 19 after falling ill earlier in the race.
The final general classification after stage 21 saw Tadej Pogacar lead with a time of 73 hours 56 minutes 26 seconds.
Source: bbc.co.uk