Pogacar on verge of fifth Tour after Alpe d'Huez win
Tadej Pogacar won stage 19 of the Tour de France on Alpe d'Huez, extending his overall lead to more than seven minutes and moving within one stage of equalling the record of five Tour wins.
Defending champion Tadej Pogacar is on the brink of winning a record-equalling fifth Tour de France after a commanding victory on stage 19 to Alpe d'Huez. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider pulled back more than three minutes on a breakaway group on the final climb to the famous ski resort, lined with thousands of spectators. The 27-year-old Slovenian aims to join Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain as the most successful riders in Tour history with five wins.
Pogacar holds a dominant lead of seven minutes 11 seconds over Belgium's Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, despite the Belgian's improved climbing this year. Mexican teammate Isaac del Toro remains third, nine minutes 42 seconds behind. The peloton will tackle Alpe d'Huez again on Saturday in the three-week race's mountainous queen stage, which includes an extra 2,000 metres of climbing.
Pogacar crossed the line six seconds ahead of France's Lenny Martinez of Bahrain-Victorious, who slammed his handlebars in frustration. Ecuador's Richard Carapaz of EF Education-Easypost finished a further three seconds back in third. A 40-plus strong breakaway had established a lead over the peloton mid-stage, but the main pack gradually reeled them in. Pogacar set a record time on the final climb of 35 minutes 27 seconds, beating Marco Pantani's 1997 mark.
Pogacar was aided by British teammate Adam Yates, who had been ill after stage 16 and lost nearly an hour overall. Yates, a loyal domestique since 2023, recovered to help pace Pogacar through the crowds. Carapaz took over the polka-dot King of the Mountains jersey by one point from Pogacar, while Denmark's Mads Pedersen retained the green points jersey.
