Tadej Pogacar claimed a record-equaling fifth Tour de France title in emphatic style on Sunday, joining Eddy Merckx, Miguel Indurain, Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault as the only riders to have won cycling's biggest race five times.
The 27-year-old Slovenian sealed the overall victory on the Champs-Élysées with a winning margin of 6 minutes 26 seconds over Remco Evenepoel, while UAE Team Emirates XRG team-mate Isaac Del Toro finished third, 9:42 down on his Tour debut.
"I'm speechless. It's an incredible day, there was an incredible atmosphere," Pogacar said. "I've ridden seven Tours already and I've always finished on the podium. You might think this is a fairytale, it's incredible for me too."
Pogacar had expected a fierce challenge from two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard, but the Dane crashed out on the 15th stage.
"Shame that Jonas and others crashed out of this Tour," Pogacar said. "I hope we can all fight again next year."
The Slovenian won five stages at this year's race to take his career tally to 26, and he was still racing at the front on the final day before Mathieu van der Poel held off the chasing pack on the home straight to claim his second stage win of the Tour and the fourth of his career.
Sunday's finale was shortened from 133 kilometers to 88.7, with the start moved from Thoiry to Paris to ease the burden on emergency services battling wildfires in south-west France. The revised route took the peloton up the sharp one-kilometer climb through Montmartre three times before the finish on the Champs-Élysées.
Richard Carapaz, 33, took the polka-dot jersey as best climber, while Mads Pedersen claimed the green jersey in the points classification.
"I battled hard to win this jersey, it was a great fight," Carapaz said. "It's the best feeling to win it."
Van der Poel, who beat Alpecin-Premier Tech team-mate Jasper Philipsen and Pedersen to the line, said: "I thought the sprinters would catch us up so I launched my attack from very far away. I gave everything I had left in my legs and it was just enough."
Pogacar, who won the Giro d'Italia in 2024, has never won the Vuelta a España, which starts on August 22. "Will I be at La Vuelta in a few weeks?" he said. "Let's see."
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