Pogacar poised for historic fifth Tour de France title as Carapaz claims Alpe d’Huez

Tadej Pogacar is set to secure a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title, extending his overall lead to six minutes and 26 seconds ahead of Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel. The 27-year-old Slovenian rider, competing for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, finished fourth on Stage 20, the gruelling 'queen stage' concluding on Alpe d’Huez, to assist teammate Isaac del Toro in securing third place overall and the young rider classification’s white jersey.

Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz claimed victory on the iconic climb, securing the King of the Mountains polka dot jersey. The win marks Carapaz’s second stage triumph in three days, following his success at the 2019 Giro d’Italia. He overtook American rider Sepp Kuss, who had led in the final kilometres but crashed twice near the summit.

Kuss, the 2023 Vuelta a España winner, suffered a dramatic incident on a right-hand corner where his rear wheel slid on dust, nearly sending him over a cliff edge. Although he maintained his lead momentarily, a second crash exiting a tunnel approaching Alpe d’Huez town allowed Carapaz to sweep past and claim the stage win.

The final stage to Paris has been shortened from 133km to 89km after emergency services were redirected to tackle devastating wildfires in south-west France. Organisers ASO confirmed the route will now feature a new section over Montmartre, replacing the traditional sprint finish on the Champs-Élysées, offering riders with sustained power a chance at a breakaway victory.

Pogacar will join Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain as the joint-most successful riders in Tour history if he crosses the finish line in Paris. Meanwhile, Denmark’s Mads Pedersen is set to claim the green points jersey, leading Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen by 82 points, while French teenager Paul Seixas is projected to finish fourth overall.