Pogacar’s Historic Achievement
Tadej Pogacar, riding for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, has achieved a record-equalling fifth Tour de France victory. The 27-year-old Slovenian cyclist finished the final stage on Paris’ Champs-Elysees within the peloton, joining a select group of riders who have won the endurance event five times. This achievement places him alongside cycling legends Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain.
Pogacar’s latest triumph marks his third consecutive Tour de France win. His performance included a record-breaking ascent of Alpe d’Huez on stage 19, where he secured one of his five stage victories in the race. His dominance throughout the competition has led some to consider him among the greatest cyclists of all time.
Despite his historical success, Pogacar expressed a desire to enjoy the present moment rather than focusing on historical comparisons. He indicated plans to return home to Slovenia for a charity event, the Tadej Pogacar Foundation, which includes a criterium race in his hometown of Komenda and the Pogi Challenge amateur ride.
Dramatic Final Stage in Paris
The final stage of the Tour de France, typically a ceremonial ride for overall contenders, saw a dramatic finish. The Netherlands’ Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Premier Tech claimed victory after a charge to the finish line on the cobbled streets of the French capital. He narrowly beat his teammate, Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen.
Van der Poel and Pogacar broke away with 11km remaining, navigating the narrow lanes over Montmartre and past Sacre-Coeur. While Pogacar eventually faded, Van der Poel maintained his lead, crossing the line ahead of a rapidly closing chasing group. This prestigious stage victory adds to Van der Poel’s list of wins in major one-day races, including multiple successes in Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders.
The stage, originally planned for 133km, was reduced to 89km due to emergency services being redirected to tackle wildfires in south-west France. The revised circuit, introduced by organisers ASO, included a cobbled climb over Montmartre, which encouraged more powerful riders to contend for the stage win.
Key Riders and Jersey Winners
Among the other notable performances, Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgohe finished second overall, 6 minutes 26 seconds behind Pogacar. Pogacar’s Mexican teammate, Isaac del Toro, secured third place overall and the white jersey for the best young rider. Del Toro’s position was aided by Pogacar, who reportedly sacrificed a potential stage victory on Saturday’s ‘queen’ stage to Alpe d’Huez to help consolidate Del Toro’s podium spot.
Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz of EF Education-Easypost, after a strong second half of the race, claimed the king of the mountains’ polka dot jersey. He won stage 18 and stage 20, having topped the race’s highest point after covering 5,450km of climbing. The green points jersey was awarded to Denmark’s Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek, who won stage four and consistently earned points throughout the race.
Britain’s Tom Pidcock of Pinarello-Q36.5 finished ninth in the general classification, building on his third-place finish in last year’s Vuelta a Espana. His former team, now known as Netcompany Ineos Cycling, did not record a stage victory in 21 attempts this year. Another British rider, Adam Yates, showed resilience after falling ill on stage 16, later assisting Pogacar on stage 19.
The Tour de France saw the absence of Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, who had won in 2022 and 2023 but abandoned this year’s race on stage 15 due to a broken collarbone. The International Testing Agency (ITA) faced scrutiny for conducting early morning anti-doping tests on riders, including Vingegaard at 2am and Pogacar at 5am, citing “exceptional circumstances” for these rare night tests.
Pogacar’s immediate plans include a period of rest and engagement with his foundation’s events in Slovenia, before potentially considering the Vuelta a España, which begins on August 22 in Monaco.
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Source: bbc.co.uk
