Tadej Pogacar secures fifth Tour de France title as Mathieu van der Poel wins final stage
Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia has claimed his fifth Tour de France victory, equalling the record for the most successful male riders in the endurance event. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider finished in the peloton on the Champs-Elysees, joining an elite group of cyclists with five Tour wins.
The final stage in Paris saw the Netherlands’ Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Premier Tech secure a dramatic victory. Van der Poel charged to the line on the French capital’s cobbled streets, narrowly beating his team-mate Jasper Philipsen. The stage was shortened to 89km due to wildfires in south-west France, which required the redeployment of emergency services.
Pogacar’s Dominance and Record-Equalling Achievement
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 a dominant victory. This was one of five stage wins for Pogacar in the race, showcasing his explosive power and consistent pace against his rivals.
His career now boasts 127 wins over an eight-year elite professional career, encompassing major races such as the Tour of Flanders, Giro d’Italia, Milan-San Remo, Road World Championships, Giro di Lombardia, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Pogacar expressed his gratitude, stating, “Victory is really special. Thank you to all the fans and my team.” He also acknowledged his family’s support, noting, “My parents – without them I would not be standing here five times already.”
Some fans reportedly booed Pogacar during the Tour, with his performances often significantly ahead of his peers, leading to concerns about the sport’s competitive balance. He commented on the unique nature of his achievements, saying, “Seven Tours and seven times on the podium, and five wins, is something you wouldn’t even maybe write in a story book, and it’s unbelievable for me.”
Dramatic Final Stage and Other Jersey Winners
The final stage, traditionally a formality for overall contenders, featured a circuit over the cobbled Montmartre hill, introduced by organisers ASO. This change allowed more powerful riders to contest the victory. Van der Poel, a classics specialist, took advantage of this, breaking away with Pogacar with 11km remaining. While Pogacar eventually faded, Van der Poel maintained his lead, collapsing after crossing the finish line.
Van der Poel’s win adds to his collection of prestigious one-day race victories, including multiple wins at Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. He described the effort, stating, “We have a saying in Dutch that it has to come for your toes. I don’t know where this came from, but not from my toes.”
In the general classification, Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe finished six minutes 26 seconds behind Pogacar. Third place went to Pogacar’s team-mate, Isaac del Toro, who also secured the white jersey for the best young rider. Del Toro, 22, benefited from Pogacar’s support, including on Saturday’s ‘queen’ stage to Alpe d’Huez, where Pogacar reportedly sacrificed a potential victory to consolidate Del Toro’s podium position.
Other jersey winners included Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz of EF Education-Easypost, who claimed the king of the mountains’ polka dot jersey. Carapaz won stage 18 and stage 20, topping the race’s highest point after 5,450km of climbing. The green points jersey was awarded to Denmark’s Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek, who won stage four and consistently gathered mid-stage points.
Britain’s Tom Pidcock of Pinarello-Q36.5 finished ninth in the general classification, building on his third place 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. Fellow Briton Adam Yates, 33, showed resilience after falling ill on stage 16, later assisting Pogacar on a climb during stage 19.
Challenges and Incidents During the Race
The race was not without its challenges. Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, who won the Tour in 2022 and 2023, abandoned the 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 a test at 5am, with the ITA citing “exceptional circumstances” for these rare night tests.
Stage 19 to Alpe d’Huez also saw significant crowd-related incidents, endangering both riders and fans. In-race motorbikes were stalled by crowds, impacting an attack by Evenepoel. A lack of crowd control led to Movistar climber Einer Rubio abandoning the race after crashing into a team car, an incident reportedly caused by an unruly spectator. Rubio was transported by helicopter to hospital in Grenoble, where he received 20 stitches for facial injuries. The race director, Thierry Gouvenou, commented on the incident, suggesting modern car braking sensors played a role.
The final stage results saw Mathieu van der Poel win in 1 hour 58 minutes 49 seconds, with Jasper Philipsen finishing second at the same time. Mads Pedersen placed third, followed by Max Kanter and Olav Kooij.
The general classification after stage 21 shows Tadej Pogacar in first place with a time of 73 hours 56 minutes 26 seconds.
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Source: bbc.com
