Pogacar wins fifth Tour de France; cycling thrives with huge crowds and strict testing

Tadej Pogacar, the 27-year-old Slovenian rider, secured his fifth Tour de France victory on Sunday in Paris, matching cycling legends Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest cyclists of all time, not only for this achievement but also for his successes in other major races, such as one-day monuments.

Pogacar's respectful demeanor stood out: he thanked every one of his teammates by name and helped his young teammate Isaac del Toro cross the line multiple times. His performance is even more remarkable given that most of his team, and possibly himself, suffered from illness during the second half of the race.

The Tour de France remains one of the toughest events in elite sport. Night-time anti-doping tests were conducted during this year's race, described by the International Testing Agency (ITA) as an "exceptional operation." Some speculated that the tests may have affected riders like Jonas Vingegaard, who was woken at 2am, and Pogacar himself. The ITA suggested the aim might be to detect micro-dosing—small amounts of banned substances that could evade the biological passport.

Former rider Jonathan Vaughters, who doped during his career, now supports round-the-clock testing. He said that if such testing had existed in 2001, many riders, including himself, would have been excluded. He emphasized that cycling's testing is more stringent than other sports due to its dark history.

Fan enthusiasm is immense: around 500,000 spectators gathered in Paris on Sunday, with 180,000 around Montmartre alone. Other races like Paris-Roubaix have also seen significant crowd increases. Next summer, Britain will host six stages of the Tour de France, allowing local fans to witness the world's best riders in person.