Pogačar wins stage 19 on Alpe d'Huez, sets new ascent record

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) secured the win on stage 19 of the Tour de France, finishing the 127.9-km mountain stage in 3 hours 17 minutes 57 seconds and setting the fastest recorded ascent of Alpe d'Huez, surpassing Marco Pantani's 1999 time. Pogačar's victory came after he gradually reduced the breakaway group, caught the leading trio on the final climb and soloed to the finish line.

Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) arrived second, 2 minutes 29 seconds behind the winner, and moved into second place in the general classification, 2 minutes 31 seconds ahead of third-placed Isaac Del Toro. Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) finished fifth on the day but claimed second place overall, while Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) retained the lead in the King of the Mountains competition, holding the polka-dot jersey by a single point.

"Pogačar beats nearly 30-year-old Alpe d'Huez climbing record set by Marco Pantani," the race report noted.

The stage featured several attacks from the breakaway, with Del Toro gaining a brief gap before being reeled in. Martinez and Carapaz attempted to challenge Pogačar on the final ascent but were unable to stay ahead. The peloton, led by UAE and Red Bull teams, kept the breakaway within a few minutes, but the decisive moves came in the last kilometres of the climb.

The day also saw the first of two consecutive stages finishing on Alpe d'Huez, a first in Tour history, and marked a pivotal moment before the race's final stages into Paris.