Pogacar Extends Tour de France Lead with Bastille Day Stage Victory

Tadej Pogacar has extended his overall lead at the Tour de France to three minutes and 36 seconds following a decisive solo victory on stage 10. The Slovenian rider, aged 27, executed a breakaway on the Col de Pertus climb in the Cantal mountains on Bastille Day, securing his third stage win of the 2026 race and his 24th career victory. The result marks the largest margin Pogacar has held at this stage of the competition, significantly widening the gap over rival Jonas Vingegaard.

The 166.6-kilometre stage saw Pogacar launch his attack 15.5 kilometres from the finish, capitalising on the steep gradient of the Col de Pertus. He crested the climb with a 20-second advantage over a chasing group that included Vingegaard and Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel. Pogacar maintained his superiority through the descent and the final kilometres, finishing ahead of Evenepoel, who took second place on the stage, 32 seconds behind the winner.

Vingegaard, the previous day’s leader, finished seventh on the stage, 44 seconds behind Pogacar. This result shifts the overall standings, with Pogacar now holding a commanding lead over Vingegaard. Evenepoel’s second-place finish on the day moves him into third place overall, sitting 30 seconds behind Vingegaard. Meanwhile, Pogacar’s teammate Isaac Del Toro dropped from third to seventh in the general classification after finishing eighth on the stage, 1 minute and 31 seconds off the pace.

Pogacar’s victory moves him to within one stage win of Frenchman Andre Leducq, who holds fourth place on the all-time list of most Tour de France stage victories. The Slovenian rider acknowledged the mixed reception from spectators, noting that while some jeers were directed at him, the overall atmosphere was positive. He referenced a sprint loss to Vingegaard on Bastille Day two years prior, stating he aimed to honour the yellow jersey in this year’s showdown.

Earlier in the stage, a 31-man breakaway formed after approximately 50 kilometres, with Mads Pedersen setting a high tempo for the intermediate sprint to extend his lead in the green jersey competition. Although Javier Romo briefly went solo, he was reeled in by Pogacar’s UAE Emirates-XRG team. Former Giro d’Italia winner Richard Carapaz also attempted a bid for victory on the Puy Mary climb but was unable to match Pogacar’s surge on the final ascent.