Pogacar secures historic fifth Tour de France title ahead of Paris finale
With the general classification effectively decided, Tadej Pogacar prepares to join an elite group of five-time winners, while Isaac Del Toro secures the white jersey for best young rider.
Tadej Pogacar has effectively secured a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title, extending his overall lead to 6 minutes 26 seconds ahead of the final stage. The 27-year-old Slovenian rider finished fourth in the 20th stage, a grueling 170.9km 'Queen stage' concluding on Alpe d'Huez, and will need only to cross the finish line on Sunday to confirm his victory in the 113th edition of the race.
Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz claimed victory on the mountain stage, securing his second win in three days and the King of the Mountains polkadot jersey. Pogacar finished behind Carapaz and Belgian Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, who took second place in the stage. The Slovenian rider allowed Evenepoel to close the gap in the general classification by approximately 40 seconds during the stage, but the margin remains insurmountable for the final day.
Isaac Del Toro, Pogacar’s teammate, secured third place overall and the best young rider's white jersey, finishing ahead of French teenager Paul Seixas. Del Toro crossed the line arm-in-arm with Pogacar on Saturday, cementing his position in the top three of the general standings at 9 minutes and 42 seconds behind the leader.
The stage was marked by dramatic incidents for American rider Sepp Kuss, who had finished third in the stage. Kuss was leading Carapaz by approximately 15 to 20 seconds before crashing twice in the final 7km. His second crash involved a near-fatal fall into a ravine, where he was saved only by safety netting on a cliff-hugging mountain pass. Despite the severity of the fall, Kuss managed to battle to the finish line, though he was passed by Evenepoel as Carapaz took the stage win.
The 113th Tour de France concludes on Sunday with a procession around Paris. Pogacar is set to join Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain as the only riders to win the Tour five times, becoming the youngest rider to achieve this feat.
