Pogacar’s Historic Achievement
Tadej Pogacar has claimed his fifth Tour de France title, matching the record held by riders such as Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain. The 27-year-old rider for UAE Team Emirates-XRG crossed the finish line on the Champs-Elysees in Paris as part of the peloton, securing his third consecutive Tour victory. This achievement includes a record-breaking ascent of Alpe d’Huez during stage 19, where he secured one of his five stage wins in the race.
Pogacar’s success has led some to consider him among the greatest cyclists of all time. His career includes 127 wins over eight years as a professional, encompassing major races like the Tour of Flanders, Giro d’Italia, Milan-San Remo, Road World Championships, Giro di Lombardia, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
Despite his numerous victories, Pogacar expressed a desire to enjoy the moment and return home for “small things in life” rather than focusing on historical records. He noted that each of his Tour wins carries different emotions and meaning.
Dramatic Finale in Paris
The final stage of the Tour de France saw Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands, riding for Alpecin-Premier Tech, secure victory after a charge to the line on the cobbled streets of Paris. He narrowly beat his teammate, Jasper Philipsen of Belgium. The stage, typically a formality for overall contenders, was altered by organisers ASO to include a cobbled climb over Montmartre hill, encouraging more powerful riders to compete for the win.
Van der Poel and Pogacar led the charge with 11km remaining, navigating the narrow lanes past Sacre-Coeur. Pogacar eventually faded after three weeks of dominant performance, allowing Van der Poel to maintain his lead against a chasing pack. Van der Poel’s win on the famous cobbles adds to his collection of major one-day race victories, including multiple wins in Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders.
The stage distance was reduced from 133km to 89km due to emergency services being redirected to address wildfires in south-west France.
Key Riders and Future Prospects
Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgohe finished second overall, six minutes 26 seconds behind Pogacar. Pogacar’s teammate, Isaac del Toro from Mexico, secured third place overall and the white jersey for the best young rider. Del Toro’s position was aided by Pogacar, who sacrificed a potential stage victory on Saturday’s ‘queen’ stage to Alpe d’Huez to help consolidate Del Toro’s podium spot. Del Toro, 22, won stage two of the race.
Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, who won the Tour in 2022 and 2023, abandoned the race after breaking his collarbone on stage 15. This incident drew attention to the International Testing Agency (ITA), which had conducted an anti-doping test on Vingegaard at 2am. Pogacar also underwent a test at 5am, with the ITA citing “exceptional circumstances” for the rare night tests.
Other jersey winners included Richard Carapaz of Ecuador (EF Education-Easypost) who claimed the king of the mountains’ polka dot jersey, winning stages 18 and 20. Mads Pedersen of Denmark (Lidl-Trek) secured the green points jersey, winning stage four. British rider Tom Pidcock finished ninth in the general classification, building on his third place in last year’s Vuelta a Espana.
Pogacar plans to attend a criterium in his hometown of Komenda, Slovenia, on Friday, followed by the Pogi Challenge amateur ride on Sunday, both of which will raise money for his charity, the Tadej Pogacar Foundation.
Source: bbc.co.uk
Lucy Ashby is a Sports Reporter at NewsGB. She reported on the county circuit and Team GB. She focuses on tennis, cricket and athletics and is known for clear, deadline-driven reporting. She holds a degree in Sport and Media from Durham University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Now based in Durham, she plays club cricket and follows distance running. “The best sport reporting starts by listening.”
