Pogacar wins Tour de Suisse by 6:32, largest overall gap since 1959

A third stage win seals the title

Slovenian world champion Tadej Pogacar won the closing queen stage of the 89th Tour de Suisse on Sunday, claiming his third stage victory in five days and the overall classification by a comfortable margin. The 27-year-old attacked on the final climb to Villars-sur-Ollon after sitting back for most of the 150.7-kilometre stage, reeling in the last survivor of the breakaway, Frenchman Lenny Martinez, with 900 metres to go. He crossed the line seven seconds clear of Martinez.

Pogacar had already won the opening stage from Sondrio with a 70-kilometre solo break, then took the stage-four time trial in Aarburg. His final-day ride left him 6 minutes 32 seconds ahead of Tokyo Olympic champion Richard Carapaz in the overall standings, with Czech rider Mathias Vacek third. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG captain now has 13 wins from 18 race results this year, despite only 16 days of racing.

Queen stage drama

On the concluding leg through the Vaud Alps, an eleven-rider escape group including Swiss champion Mauro Schmid built a lead of more than two minutes before the last climb of the Col de la Croix (1,722 m). Pogacar bided his time until roughly 8 km from the finish, then accelerated away from the main group of favourites and began eating into the gap. He caught every rider ahead except Martinez, who held on until the final kilometre before being overwhelmed.

Schmid finished 15th, 3:26 down, and described the day as a useful test for the Tour de France. The afternoon heat underscored the demanding nature of a course that featured three crossings of the same mountain.

A historic winning margin

The 6:32 gap to Carapaz is the largest at the Tour de Suisse since 1959, when German Hans Junkermann won by 10 minutes 19 seconds over Frenchman Henry Anglade after eight stages. In the 25 editions prior to this year, no winner had built an advantage bigger than the 2:02 Fabian Cancellara held over Tony Martin in 2009. The victory is the third consecutive Tour de Suisse triumph for UAE Team Emirates, following wins by João Almeida (2025) and Adam Yates (2024).

Looking ahead to the Tour de France

Pogacar’s all-round strength makes him the clear reference point two weeks before the Grand Départ in Barcelona. He is targeting a fifth Tour de France crown, which would tie him with Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain on the all-time list. His ability to win from solo breakaways, time trials and high-mountain finishes leaves rivals scrambling for answers.