"He's an icon!"

Incredible Pogacar Secures 5th Tour de France Victory

Tadej Pogacar(Bild: EPA/GUILLAUME HORCAJUELO)

Tadej Pogacar has been crowned the overall winner of the Tour de France for the fifth time! The 27-year-old Slovenian from Team UAE finished the three-week Tour de France with a commanding lead of 6:26 minutes over Belgian Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel and gave it his all once again during the victory lap through Paris. In a nail-biting finish on Sunday, Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel claimed victory on Stage 21.

The reigning cyclocross world champion held on to a one-centimeter lead to the finish line on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Pogacar was caught by the chasing group 300 meters before the finish line. With Jasper Philipsen in second place, the Alpecin team celebrated a one-two finish to cap off the race. Pogacar’s overall victory had already been secured 48 kilometers before the finish, as the clock was stopped for the general classification at that point. This allowed the top stars to go all out on the cobblestones up to Montmartre—and treated the spectators to one last spectacular show.

The final stage was shortened from the original 133 to 89 kilometers due to the severe forest fires near Bordeaux and took place entirely within the French capital. Security personnel were redeployed from the race to reinforce emergency response teams in the crisis areas.

“It was a great day. I’m speechless. I’m glad it’s over, that I’ve won for the fifth time,” Pogacar exclaimed. “Every victory is special. Seven times in the Tour, seven times on the podium. You couldn’t write a script like that—it’s unbelievable.”

Two Austrians in Key Roles
The King of the Mountains jersey went to Richard Carapaz (EF) of Ecuador; the Sprint King title went to Denmark’s Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek); and the best young rider was Isaac del Toro (UAE), who finished third overall. Austrian Felix Großschartner finished his fourth Tour in 32nd place as one of Pogacar’s key support riders. His compatriot Marco Haller (147th) served as “Road Captain” for the Tudor team. The veteran from Carinthia completed his eleventh finish in the world’s most prestigious stage race, finishing 16th on Sunday’s final stage along the magnificent boulevard.

The competition’s hopes that Pogacar might falter had been modest even before the Tour began. And the “man-eater,” as France’s sports bible L’Equipe admiringly described him, was once again untouchable at the 113th edition of the Tour. The cycling spectacle unfolded with solo victories and climbing masterclasses in the mountains, new records, but also doping tests at 5 a.m. and boos from the roadside directed at Pogacar.

Tour record just a matter of time
Even before the final stage, the legendary Eddy Merckx had welcomed the exceptional talent into the exclusive circle of five-time winners alongside the two Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault, as well as the Spaniard Miguel Indurain. According to Merckx, Pogacar will soon surpass them all. “I don’t think he’ll be content to just tie me and the other champions. Soon he’ll break our record for Tour victories,” the 81-year-old Belgian said with conviction.

Pogacar had already triumphed in 2020, 2021, 2024, and 2025. In the mountains, it was once again “Mission Impossible” for the competition, as Evenepoel admitted. Whenever the world champion took the lead, his rivals could only watch in admiration. Take, for example, his masterpiece on the 21 hairpin turns up to the cycling mecca of Alpe d’Huez, when Pogacar closed the gap by three and a half minutes on a strong breakaway group.

“The little things are still improving”
In doing so, he also shattered Marco Pantani’s 31-year-old record. 35:26 minutes for the 13.8-kilometer final climb, an average speed of more than 23 km/h, 1:24 minutes faster than the Italian legend did in 1995—a superhuman feat in the eyes of many experts. Pogacar had already set a new record on the Col du Tourmalet in the Pyrenees. “I’m not interested in records; it’s all about the win,” Pogacar said modestly. Similarly, he didn’t want to overstate the significance of his four other stage wins this year.

Pogacar has now racked up 26 Tour stage wins. Had he not also supported his third-place teammate Isaac Del Toro along the way, there would likely be even more. Only former sprint star Mark Cavendish (35), Merckx (34), and Hinault (28) are ahead of him. If the 27-year-old continues at this pace, he could break the record in as little as two years. “I don’t feel like I’ve gotten significantly stronger since 2024. But I have more experience; the little things are still improving. It all comes down to the details,” said Pogacar.

Team Manager: “An aura like Federer’s”
“Pogi has now become a global figure,” gushed his team manager Mauro Gianetti: “He has the aura, the charisma, and the appeal of a Roger Federer. He’s an icon.” The man from Komenda now also speaks out forcefully on behalf of the peloton. As he did after the fateful crash of his rival Jonas Vingegaard, who fell following a nighttime doping test on Stage 15 and suffered a broken collarbone.

Pogacar speculated that there might have been a connection. In addition to Vingegaard, Pogacar had also been tested at night—an unprecedented move in France that was authorized by a Paris court. Naturally, suspicions arise in the face of such miraculous feats.

Boos spur him on
Not everyone is pleased with Pogacar’s dominance. Even from the roadside, there were occasional boos directed at the insatiable rider. “That just makes us stronger,” Pogacar replied: “When someone boos me, I think of Novak Djokovic and let him inspire me.” The Serbian tennis star doesn’t have only fans either. But 99 percent of people are positive toward him, Pogacar noted. So the cycling star, who is under contract with UAE through 2030, can set his sights on his next goals. There’s talk of the Vuelta; the Tour of Spain is still missing from his long list of victories. A win at the spring classic Paris-Roubaix has also eluded him so far, despite two second-place finishes.

The results of Stage 21:
1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin 1:58:49 hrs.
2. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin
3. Mads Pedersen (DEN) Lidl-Trek
Also:
, 16. Marco Haller (AUT) Tudor
141. Felix Großschartner (AUT) UAE – classified with the same time 49 km before the finish

The standings in the general classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE 73:56:26 hrs.
2. Remco Evenepoel (BEL) Red Bull +6:26 min.
3. Isaac Del Toro (MEX) UAE +9:42
Also:
32. Felix Großschartner (AUT) UAE +2:43:22 hrs.
147. Marco Haller (AUT) Tudor +6:02:20