Pogačar wins record-tying fifth Tour de France title

Tadej Pogačar cemented his place among cycling's all-time greats on Sunday, claiming a record-equaling fifth Tour de France title as the 2026 race concluded on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The 27-year-old Slovenian finished 6 minutes and 26 seconds ahead of Belgium's Remco Evenepoel to join Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain as the only riders to win five Tours.lethbridgeherald+2

"It's my seventh Tour… I did seven podiums and five wins," Pogačar said after the stage.youtube

Mathieu van der Poel won the final stage sprint, his second stage victory of this year's race, while Mads Pedersen secured the green points jersey.youtube+1

A Dominant Three Weeks

Pogačar's fifth title was built on a performance of characteristic dominance. He seized the yellow jersey on Stage 3 with a victory atop Les Angles and never relinquished it across three weeks of racing that began in Barcelona on July 4. He won five stages during this edition, bringing his career total at the Tour to 26, placing him among the most prolific stage winners in the race's 113-year history.flobikes+3

His most devastating blow came on Stage 19, when he set a new record time of 35 minutes and 27 seconds up Alpe d'Huez, surpassing the mark set by Marco Pantani in 1997. That performance extended his overall lead to more than seven minutes and effectively ended the race as a contest.bbc+1

Historic Company, Youngest to Five

At 27, Pogačar became the youngest rider ever to reach the five-title milestone, having won the race in 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025, and now 2026. His UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad also celebrated Isaac del Toro's third-place finish overall, with the 22-year-old Mexican securing the white jersey for best young rider in his Tour debut.flobikes+3

Richard Carapaz of EF Education-EasyPost claimed the polka-dot mountains jersey after winning Stage 20 on Alpe d'Huez in a dramatic finale that saw race leader Sepp Kuss crash twice in the closing kilometers. The final stage had been shortened to 89 kilometers from its original 133-kilometer route due to wildfires near Thoiry.bbc+3

Pogačar now needs at least two more Tour victories to stand alone atop cycling's record books — a prospect that, given his age and dominance, few would bet against.