Pogacar clinches fifth Tour de France title, joining cycling legends
Tadez Pogacar secured his fifth overall victory at the Tour de France, matching the record of four former champions, after a dominant performance that included five stage wins.
Tadej Pogacar won his fifth Tour de France overall title on Sunday, placing him alongside Eddy Merckx, Miguel Indurain, Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault as the only riders to achieve five victories. The 27-year-old Slovenian finished 6 minutes 26 seconds ahead of Belgian Remco Evenepoel after a decisive performance that featured daring mountain attacks and multiple stage wins.
"I’m speechless. It’s an incredible day, there was an incredible atmosphere," Pogacar said after crossing the line on the Champs-Élysées.
Pogacar’s main rival, two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard, abandoned the race on stage 15 following a crash, leaving Evenepoel as the nearest challenger. Pogacar’s teammate Isaac Del Toro, making his Tour debut, completed the podium in third place, 9 minutes 42 seconds behind the winner.
"Shame that Jonas and others crashed out of this Tour. I hope we can all fight again next year," Pogacar added.
The final stage, a shortened 88.7-kilometre circuit around Paris, featured three ascents of the Montmartre climb before finishing on the Champs-Élysées. Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel won the stage after a late attack, while Pogacar finished 30th.
"I thought the sprinters would catch us up so I launched (my attack) from very far away. I gave everything I had left in my legs and it was just enough," van der Poel said.
Pogacar, who also claimed the 2024 Giro d’Italia, has yet to win the Vuelta a España, which begins on Aug. 22. He hinted at a possible future appearance but did not confirm his plans.
The women's Tour de France will commence on Aug. 1 in Lausanne and conclude on Aug. 9 in Nice.