Mathieu van der Poel won in a last explosive stage in the Champs-Élysées, shortened by the emergency deployment due to the fires in southwestern France.
Tadej Pogacar is now definitively part of the history of the Tour de France. The Slovenian cyclist confirmed this Sunday in Paris his fifth victory in the French round, the third consecutive, and has entered the small group of riders who have conquered the most important race in world cycling five times.
The champion of UAE Team Emirates-XRG arrived dressed in yellow at the Champs-Élysées after having dominated an edition in which he marked decisive differences in the mountains again. Remco Evenepoel finished second in the general classification and Isaac del Toro completed the podium, in addition to winning the white jersey for the best young rider.
The last stage had another protagonist. Mathieu van der Poel won in Paris after a day much more demanding and open than usual. The Dutchman surpassed Jasper Philipsen and Mads Pedersen in a very tight finish, after responding to the attacks launched in the final circuit of the French capital.
Pogacar equals Indurain, Merckx, Hinault, and Anquetil
With his fifth victory, Pogacar joins one of the most exclusive clubs in the history of the Tour. Before him, only Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain had reached five crowns.
The 27-year-old Slovenian had already won the editions of 2020, 2021, 2024, and 2025. His triumph in 2026 also allows him to chain three consecutive victories and place himself just one title away from the absolute record of six, a barrier that no rider has managed to surpass so far.
The dimension of his achievement is even greater due to the way he has controlled the Tour. Pogacar took the definitive lead during the first half of the race and built a sufficient advantage to manage the last alpine stages without needing to expose himself more than necessary.
His balance includes five stage wins in this edition, including an exhibition in Alpe d'Huez that definitively consolidated the yellow jersey. In that ascent, he also set a new record in the mountains and achieved his first victory on one of the most emblematic peaks in cycling.
Van der Poel turns the Champs-Élysées into a classic
The last stage of the Tour ceased to be a simple celebration to become an intense and tactical race through the streets of Paris.
The inclusion of three ascents to the Côte de la Butte Montmartre once again broke the traditional script of the Champs-Élysées. The slopes, the pavement, and the continuous accelerations favored explosive riders like Van der Poel, Pogacar, Evenepoel, and Pedersen.
Van der Poel attacked alongside Pogacar himself in the decisive stretch and managed to stay in front until the finish. The Dutchman ended up winning in a very close finish against Philipsen and Pedersen, confirming his status as one of the most complete riders in the peloton.
The victory marks his fourth stage win in the Tour de France. The Alpecin-Premier Tech cyclist had been pointed out as one of the big favorites for a route that combined the cobbled streets of Montmartre with the final speed on the Champs-Élysées.