Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia won the Tour de France for the fifth time on Sunday. With this victory, the 2026 champion becomes one of the most successful riders in the history of the famous cycling race.
Pogačar completed the entire tour in 73 hours, 56 minutes, and 26 seconds. He finished almost six and a half minutes ahead of his nearest competitor, Remco Evenepoel of Belgium. After the race, Pogačar said the win felt unbelievable. He has competed in seven Tours de France, finished on the podium every time, and won five titles. He now shares the record for most victories with cycling legends Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Induráin.
The final stage of the race took place in Paris on the Champs-Élysées and was won by Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel. Organizers had to delay the start time and shorten the final route because police were reassigned to help fight raging wildfires in southwest France. Originally, cyclists were scheduled to start in Thoiry, 56 kilometers west of Paris, before riding into the capital.