Pogacar’s Historic Victory
Tadej Pogacar, the Slovenian cyclist, has achieved a significant milestone by winning the Tour de France for a record-equaling fifth time. This victory marks his third consecutive win in the prestigious event. The 27-year-old rider for UAE Team Emirates-XRG crossed the finish line on Paris’ Champs-Elysees as part of the peloton, joining an elite group of cyclists. This group includes Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain, all of whom have also secured five victories in the endurance race.
Pogacar’s success has led many to consider him among the greatest cyclists of all time, surpassing the achievements of legendary figures like Merckx. His remarkable performance throughout the race included a record-breaking ascent of the iconic Alpe d’Huez during stage 19, where he sealed another dominant victory. This was one of five stage wins for Pogacar in the race, showcasing his explosive power and consistent pace that rivals have found difficult to match.
Reflecting on his achievement, Pogacar described it as “something you wouldn’t even maybe write in a story book,” emphasizing the special nature of each victory. He expressed gratitude to his fans, his team, and especially his family, acknowledging their lifelong support. With this win, Pogacar has now been on the podium seven times in seven Tours, securing five wins, a feat he finds unbelievable.
Final Stage Drama and Other Achievements
The final stage of the Tour de France, typically a ceremonial ride for overall contenders culminating in a flat bunch sprint, saw an exciting finish. Organizers ASO introduced a circuit that included a cobbled climb over the city’s famous Montmartre hill, altering the course to encourage more powerful riders to compete for the stage victory. On Sunday, Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands, riding for Alpecin-Premier Tech, claimed victory in a thrilling charge to the line. He pulled away with Pogacar with 11km remaining, leading through the narrow lanes over Montmartre and past Sacre-Coeur.
Van der Poel, known for his strength in grueling one-day races, managed to stay ahead of a rapidly closing chasing pack, which included several sprinters. He narrowly beat his team-mate Jasper Philipsen of Belgium by mere inches. This prestigious stage win on the famous cobbles adds to Van der Poel’s impressive list of victories in major one-day races, such as multiple wins in Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. The stage itself was shortened from 133km to 89km due to the redirection of emergency services to address wildfires in south-west France.
Pogacar’s extensive career includes 127 wins over an eight-year elite professional period. He has triumphed in almost every major race in the sport, including the Tour of Flanders, Giro d’Italia, Milan-San Remo, Road World Championships, Giro di Lombardia, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Despite his dominance, some fans have reportedly booed Pogacar during the Tour, expressing frustration that his superior performances might be diminishing the competitive edge of the sport.
Key Riders and Jersey Winners
While Pogacar dominated, other riders made significant impacts. Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, a Belgian rider, finished in second place overall, 6 minutes 26 seconds behind Pogacar. Third place went to Pogacar’s Mexican team-mate, Isaac del Toro of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, who finished 9 minutes 42 seconds behind the leader. Del Toro, at 22 years old, secured the white jersey for the best young rider, a position he consolidated with Pogacar’s assistance on Saturday’s ‘queen’ stage to Alpe d’Huez, where Pogacar reportedly sacrificed his own potential victory.
The white jersey came at the expense of 19-year-old French star Paul Seixas of Decathlon-CMA CGM, who finished fourth overall, 11 minutes 56 seconds behind Pogacar. Seixas showed strength on climbs but faded on Saturday. Many observers believe Seixas could become a future rival to Pogacar. The only rider to have previously broken Pogacar’s dominance in the Tour de France was Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, who won in 2022 and 2023. However, Vingegaard, a 29-year-old rider for Visma-Lease a Bike, abandoned this year’s race after breaking his collarbone on stage 15.
Other notable jersey winners included Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz of EF Education-Easypost, who claimed the king of the mountains’ polka dot jersey after toiling earlier in the race and then finding strong form. Carapaz won stage 18 and Saturday’s 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 demonstrated tenacious riding on climbs where he is not typically strong, accumulating mid-stage points and winning stage four. Pedersen beat several sprinters for the jersey, including Philipsen, while fellow Belgian Tim Merlier of Soudal-Quick Step won three bunch sprint stages.
British rider Tom Pidcock of Pinarello-Q36.5, who won on Alpe d’Huez four years prior, finished ninth in the general classification, building on his third-place finish in last year’s Vuelta a Espana. His consistent battling riding satisfied him and his team, even without a stage win. Fellow Briton Adam Yates, 33, showed tenacity by riding at the back of the field for two days after falling ill on stage 16, before helping pace Pogacar up a climb for victory on stage 19.
The final general classification standings after stage 21 saw Pogacar finish with a total time of 73 hours, 56 minutes, 26 seconds.
Source: bbc.com