Pogacar secures position for fifth Tour de France title; Carapaz wins stage

Slovene has quickly drawn level with the greats Paul Seixas acknowledges Pogaca’s dominance Tadej Pogacar woke up in Paris on Monday as the fastest and the youngest cyclist to win five Tours de France. The 27-year-old Slovene took his fifth overall win on the Champs Elysées on Sunday evening in a thrilling final stage won by Matthieu van der Poel. Pogacaris level with Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Induráin and he is expected to continue racing in pursuit of a record-breaking sixth win. Continue reading...

Mathieu van der Poel won a thrilling final stage of the Tour de France as Tadej Pogacar sealed a record-equalling fifth overall title on the streets of Paris. Van der Poel and Pogacar attacked on each of the three times up the cobbled climb to Montmartre and the two of them desperately fought to hold off the peloton over 10 gruelling final kilometres before the line.

Pogacar also hints he is contemplating retirement Runner-up Evenepoel says he proved critics wrong Tadej Pogacar joined the small club of five-time Tour de France champions in a final stage in Paris that was neutralised by concerns over safety due to the threat of rain on the cobbles of the Butte de Montmartre. Pogacar’s dominant success, his fifth win in seven years, left Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and the Slovene’s UAE Emirates XRG teammate Isaac del Toro as the only others to finish within 10 minutes of his winning time. Continue reading...

Slovene becomes fifth rider to win five Tours Eddy Merckx: ‘He’ll soon break our record’ Tadej Pogacar took a record-equalling fifth win in the Tour de France on Sunday, joining Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain in the canon of the Tour’s most successful cyclists. In a thrilling finale to the Tour, Mathieu van der Poel took his second stage win of the race on the Champs-Élysees, fending off the pursuing pack of sprinters by a tyre’s width, after breaking clear with Pogacar on the final climb of the Butte de Montmartre. Merckx, widely considered the greatest-ever cyclist due to the breadth of his achievements beyond the Tour itself, believes Pogacar will now go on to win a sixth Tour. “I don’t think he’ll be content just to draw level with me and the other ­champions,” the 81-year-old Belgian said. “He’ll soon break our record for Tour victories.” Continue reading...

Tadej Pogacar is set to win a record-equalling fifth Tour de France after Ecuador's Richard Carapaz takes a dramatic stage 20 to Alpe d'Huez.

Tadej Pogacar is set to win a record-equalling fifth Tour de France after Ecuador's Richard Carapaz takes a dramatic stage 20 to Alpe d'Huez.

The Slovenian star heads into Sunday’s showcase finish in Paris with a lead of 6 1/2 minutes over Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel.

Tadej Pogacar stands to win a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title in Paris on Sunday after Richard Carapaz took advantage of late crashes for Sepp Kuss to win stage 20 on the Alpe d’Huez. A day after setting a new record time up the Alpe’s famous hairpin bends to extend his overall lead, Pogacar could afford to concede 39 seconds to closest challenger Remco Evenepoel on Saturday and will start Sunday’s shortened stage into Paris ahead by six minutes and 26 seconds.

ALPE D'HUEZ, France (AP) — Tadej Pogacar moved to within touching distance of a record-equaling fifth Tour de France title after finishing safely in the penultimate stage on Saturday. The Slovenian star heads into Sunday's showcase finish in Paris with a lead of 6 1/2 minutes over Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel. Barring mishap, Pogacar will join Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain, and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault as the only men to win five Tours.

Tadej Pogacar all but sealed a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title on Saturday as Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz won the 20th stage on Alpe d'Huez.With Sunday's 21st and final stage of the 113th edition of the Tour likely to be the usual procession around Paris, Pogacar will need only to cross the finish line to secure a fifth Tour title in seven years.