Tadej Pogačar secured his fifth Tour de France title on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, joining an elite group of cycling legends that includes Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain. The Slovenian star completed the 3,245-kilometer race from Barcelona to Paris with a comfortable margin over runner-up Remco Evenepoel, while Mathieu van der Poel claimed victory on the high-intensity final stage.
A Historic Fifth Crown in Paris
Standing beneath a gray Parisian sky, Pogačar celebrated his latest triumph alongside his teammates. Reflecting on his journey to a fifth yellow jersey, Pogačar expressed his amazement at the milestone. According to race reports, the champion noted that reaching seven podium finishes in seven Tour appearances felt like an unscripted script.
The final stage required a last-minute route adjustment due to severe wildfires near Bordeaux. The French Interior Ministry reassigned security personnel to the affected zones, leading organizers to shorten the route from Thoiry to an 88.7-kilometer circuit entirely within Paris, down from the original 133 kilometers. To ensure safety during the three ascents of the Montmartre hill, race officials froze the general classification times before the circuit racing began.
Dominance Across the Alpine and Pyrenean Climbs
Pogačar’s path to victory featured five stage wins and a decisive advantage of over six minutes in the general classification over Belgium’s Evenepoel, a double Olympic champion. Evenepoel acknowledged the overwhelming strength of the winner, describing the effort to match his pace as an impossible mission.
The defining performance of the three-week race came on the 21 hairpins of Alpe d’Huez. Pogačar climbed the 13.8-kilometer ascent in 35 minutes and 26 seconds, averaging over 23 kilometers per hour and eclipsing Marco Pantani’s 31-year-old climbing benchmark by 1 minute and 24 seconds. Team manager Mauro Gianetti likened Pogačar’s global appeal and commanding presence to tennis icon Roger Federer.
Looking Ahead and Future Records
With 26 career stage wins at the Tour de France, Pogačar sits behind only Mark Cavendish, Eddy Merckx, and Bernard Hinault on the all-time list. Five-time champion Eddy Merckx suggested in the Italian sports press that Pogačar’s current trajectory could eventually challenge the all-time record for total yellow jerseys.
Meanwhile, the German contingent at the Tour experienced mixed fortunes. Max Kanter secured a fourth-place finish on the final stage, though the nation finished another Grand Tour without a stage victory, keeping the streak alive since Nils Politt’s win in Nîmes five years prior. In the medical room, podium contender Florian Lipowitz continues his recovery at home following a clavicle fracture sustained during the individual time trial, with national coach Jens Zemke expressing optimism regarding a return for the upcoming World Championships.
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