PARIS — Tadej Pogacar cemented his place among cycling's greatest champions on Sunday, winning the Tour de France for the fifth time to draw level with the sport's most decorated names.
The 27-year-old Slovenian rounded off a dominant three weeks with the 21st and final stage in Paris, finishing 6 minutes 26 seconds clear of Remco Evenepoel in the general classification. Isaac Del Toro, the 22-year-old Mexican riding his first Tour, completed the podium in third as Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates support rider.
Five Tour titles put Pogacar alongside Eddy Merckx, Miguel Indurain, Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault as the only riders to reach the milestone in the race's history. He has now won three Tours in a row, adding 2026 to his victories in 2024 and 2025.
The race was never seriously in doubt once Jonas Vingegaard, Pogacar's former rival, crashed out on stage 15. The Dane, a two-time champion who beat Pogacar in 2022 and 2023, had briefly worn the yellow jersey after his Visma-Lease a Bike team won the opening team time trial in Barcelona, but he could not sustain a challenge in the mountains before his exit.
Pogacar's dominance was reflected in the stage wins too: he took five stages this edition, lifting his career total at the Tour to 26. He needs 10 more to break Mark Cavendish's record of 35.
There were encouraging signs elsewhere. Paul Seixas, a 19-year-old Frenchman riding his first Tour, finished fourth overall, giving French fans renewed hope 41 years after Bernard Hinault's last victory. Lenny Martinez placed fifth. Evenepoel, the two-time Olympic champion, appears the one rider with an outside chance of toppling Pogacar in the coming years: he can beat the Slovenian in time trials and is still young enough to improve in the mountains.
Pogacar, meanwhile, was already looking ahead. "Will I be at La Vuelta in a few weeks?" he said teasingly on Sunday. "Let's see."
A Vuelta title would complete a clean sweep of Grand Tour victories, the one achievement still missing from a palmares that already includes Giro d'Italia success.
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