Tadej Pogačar took a decisive victory amidst a "crazy atmosphere" on Alpe d'Huez after a long and tense chase up the iconic final mountain climb of Friday's 19th stage of the Tour de France 2026.
Having launched his attack with 12 kilometers left, the reigning champion finally caught Richard Carapaz and Lenny Martinez inside the final two kilometers.
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"It's very cool to win up here - it was a crazy atmosphere, all the climbing," Pogačar said. "It was thanks to all the team that I could pull it off in the end. I was riding for the teammates today, and it was a great victory."
Several of Pogačar's UAE Emirates-XRG teammates have been suffering with illness, and Brandon McNulty abandoned the race Thursday with flu-like symptoms.
Pogačar had made up close to three and a half minutes since the foot of the climb, and he wasted little time in leaving the pair of leaders in his wake, dropping them with just 800 meters left.
"We were going full-gas all day, and then at the beginning, the first kilometer of Alpe d'Huez, I knew that it's cool, I have good legs and there's not many guys left that maybe can follow or try to go with me," said the race leader. "So, I tried, and then I committed to the top."
It was a fifth stage victory this year for the 27-year-old Slovenian and a 26th in total since the four-time winner's Tour debut in 2020.
And, incredibly, it was Pogačar's first stage victory on Alpe d'Huez - a remarkable statistic for a man who has dominated cycling for the last six years.
Martinez trailed home six seconds behind Pogačar, with Carapaz, who had won the 18th stage the day before, third at nine seconds.
Pogačar increased his lead in the overall standings to more than seven minutes to Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, who finished the stage sixth, two and a half minutes down.
He is now within touching distance of a record-equaling fifth Tour de France victory.
Evenepoel managed to eke out a few more seconds in his advantage over third-place Isaac del Toro, who did likewise to Paul Seixas in fourth.
Del Toro is at 9 minutes, 42 seconds, with Seixas at 10:06, meaning that their battle for the best young rider's white jersey will head to Saturday's decisive penultimate stage before Sunday's procession around Paris.
Martinez did enough to jump two places to fifth overall, just nine seconds ahead of Mattias Skjelmose, who finished the stage in eighth at 2 minutes, 45 seconds.
Richard Carapaz Takes Polka Dot Jersey At Tour de France 2026
It was another day of frenetic racing at the Tour de France, as a breakaway group containing more than 40 riders went clear within the first few kilometers of the 127.9-kilometer stage from Gap.
Valentin Paret-Peintre and Carapaz continued their battle for King of the Mountains polka dot jersey points, with the Frenchman cresting both the Col Bayard and the Col du Noyer first ahead of the Ecuadorian.
But those were the last points the Frenchman would earn, and Carapaz did enough to claim the jersey off Pogačar's shoulders by a single point, with Paret-Peintre seven points off the lead.
Once the leaders hit the Col d'Ornon in the final 35 kilometers, the group broke up, with only 15 riders left at the top of the climb, and just 10 in the yellow jersey group four minutes down the road.
The leaders still had an advantage of three and a half minutes at the foot of Alpe d'Huez.
Thymen Arensman made the first move with 12.5 kilometers left, but eventually, it was Carapaz, Martinez and American Sepp Kuss who broke clear.
But three minutes further back, Pogačar made his move and immediately distanced his rivals for the overall victory.
The reigning champion had almost caught the leading trio with 3 kilometers left, but Carapaz kicked on, while behind, Evenepoel attacked Seixas, Del Toro and Skjelmose.
Pogacar caught Carapaz with 1.8 kilometers left, but with Martinez clinging to his wheel.
But another acceleration saw Pogačar drop his two rivals with 800 meters to ride.
Tour de France 2026 Stage 19 Results – Top 25
- Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) – 3:17:57 (B10)
- Lenny Martinez (Bahrain - Victorious) – 3:17:59 (B6)
- Richard Carapaz (EF Education - EasyPost) – 3:18:00 (B4)
- Sepp Kuss (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – 3:19:11
- Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) – 3:20:04
- Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) – 3:20:26
- Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) – 3:20:38
- Paul Seixas (Lidl - Trek) – 3:20:42
- Mattias Skjelmose (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) – 3:20:42
- Harold Tejada (XDS Astana Team) – 3:21:19
- Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) – 3:21:22
- Thymen Arensman (Netcompany INEOS) – 3:22:04
- Yannis Voisard (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) – 3:23:29
- Javier Romo (Movistar Team) – 3:23:58
- Afonso Clément Braz (Groupama - FDJ United) – 3:24:07
- Quinn Simmons (Lidl - Trek) – 3:24:23
- Juan Ayuso (Lidl - Trek) – 3:24:23
- Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) – 3:24:30
- Tom Pidcock (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – 3:25:31
- Davide Piganzoli (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) – 3:26:19
- Ben O'Connor (Team Jayco AlUla) – 3:26:26
- Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies) – 3:27:04
- Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step) – 3:27:04
- George Bennett (NSN Cycling Team) – 3:27:40
- Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) – 3:28:03
Tour de France 2026 Overall Standings – Top 25 After Stage 19
- Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) – 67:53:00 (B62)
- Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) – 68:00:11 (B20)
- Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) – 68:02:42 (B24)
- Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) – 68:03:06 (B8)
- Lenny Martinez (Bahrain - Victorious) – 68:06:00 (B6)
- Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl - Trek) – 68:06:09
- Juan Ayuso (Lidl - Trek) – 68:08:58
- Tom Pidcock (EF Education - EasyPost) – 68:14:15 (B18)
- Richard Carapaz (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) – 68:14:30 (B8)
- Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies) – 68:16:21
- Yannis Voisard (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) – 68:23:00
- Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step) – 68:28:47
- Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) – 68:42:58 (B6)
- Davide Piganzoli (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – 68:48:57
- Nicolas Prodhomme (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – 68:55:01
- Sepp Kuss (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) – 69:10:55
- Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) – 69:14:58
- Jai Hindley (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) – 69:15:18
- Tiesj Benoot (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) – 69:18:12
- Quinn Simmons (Lidl - Trek) – 69:19:31 (B6)
- Sean Quinn (EF Education - EasyPost) – 69:23:42
- Carlos Verona (Lidl - Trek) – 69:32:11
- Pablo Castrillo (Movistar Team) – 69:44:37
- Derek Gee-West (Lidl - Trek) – 69:44:39
- Thymen Arensman (Netcompany INEOS) – 69:44:45
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