Defending champion Tadej Pogačar moved to within touching distance of a record-equalling fifth Tour de France crown with a stunning victory on Stage 19, the iconic mountain finish at Alpe d'Huez.
The 27-year-old UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider produced a devastating late acceleration on the hors catégorie climb through crowds of tens of thousands, crossing the line six seconds ahead of France's Lenny Martinez (Bahrain-Victorious) to claim his fourth stage win of this year's race. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-Easypost) completed the podium a further three seconds back.
More significantly, Pogačar stretched his general classification lead over Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) to seven minutes and 11 seconds — an advantage that all but guarantees he will equal the all-time record of five Tour de France victories held jointly by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
"I knew I had good legs when I started the climb," Pogačar said afterwards. "The atmosphere was crazy — fans everywhere, so close to the road. When I heard some of the guys had been dropped, I went full gas. Every kilometre of Alpe d'Huez I felt strong and not many could follow."
His winning time of 35 minutes 27 seconds on the 13.8 km climb set a new Alpe d'Huez record, eclipsing the legendary Marco Pantani's 1997 benchmark of 36:50 — a mark that had stood for nearly three decades.
The day was not without its drama. A 40-strong breakaway had opened a lead of several minutes mid-stage, with Martinez, Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) and the irrepressible Carapaz emerging as the three men most likely to contest the stage win. But Pogačar, aided by a rejuvenated Adam Yates who had battled back from illness that nearly forced him to abandon the race, sliced through the remnants of the break on the lower slopes of the climb before powering clear.
Yates, whose Tour had unravelled after Stage 16's time trial when he fell violently ill, proved a pivotal satellite rider, pacing his team leader through the mayhem of the Alpe d'Huez crowds.
"I was so happy Adam was finally back after the time trial — he was in a really bad way," Pogačar said. "Riding behind him gave me a huge moral boost."
In the classification battles elsewhere, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) extended his lead in the green points jersey over Jasper Philipsen, while Carapaz's aggressive riding moved him to the top of the King of the Mountains standings, snatching the polka-dot jersey from Pogačar by a single point.
Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) remains third overall at nine minutes 42 seconds, keeping the white young riders' jersey, with French prodigy Paul Seixas (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) in fourth.
The peloton faces perhaps its toughest test on Saturday with Stage 20, a mountainous queen stage that climbs Alpe d'Huez once more before an additional 2,000 metres of ascending through the Alps. Barring catastrophe, however, Sunday's largely ceremonial run into Paris will see Pogačar crowned champion for the fifth time.
Sources
- BBC Sport: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/articles/c2elrwxe941o
