Pogacar wins record-equalling fifth Tour de France as Van der Poel takes final stage

Fifth crown on the Champs-Élysées

Tadej Pogacar won his fifth Tour de France on Sunday, matching the record held by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain. The 27-year-old Slovenian crossed the finish line on the Champs-Élysées safely in the peloton as Mathieu van der Poel took the final 89-kilometre stage ahead of his teammate Jasper Philipsen. Pogacar's victory was his third consecutive Tour win, and he has now stood on the podium in all seven of his participations. "I'm happy to be here for the fifth time, I'm very proud to have this fifth crown in the best race in the world," he said after the stage.

It was an incredible day, I'm speechless, a crazy atmosphere. I'm happy to have won for the fifth time, every victory is always special: seven Tours, seven podiums, five wins, it's something you wouldn't even write in children's diaries.

A dominant three weeks

Pogacar seized control early, attacking on the Col du Tourmalet during stage six and building a lead of more than two and a half minutes over Jonas Vingegaard by stage 10. He went on to win five stages, including Le Markstein and the Alpe d'Huez, bringing his career tally to 26 stage victories.

Across his five Tour wins, Pogacar has spent almost 9,500 kilometres in the yellow jersey out of 16,911 km raced, at an average speed of 41.99 km/h. He is the youngest rider to reach five titles, completing his victories in just under 404 hours of racing, compared with nearly 613 hours for Anquetil. The financial gulf between teams was stark: UAE Team Emirates XRG collected €832,750 in prize money, while the Picnic PostNL squad earned just €12,770.

Del Toro's podium and a teammate's generosity

Pogacar's dominance was matched by his willingness to support UAE Team Emirates XRG teammate Isaac del Toro. The Mexican finished third overall and claimed the white jersey as best young rider. Pogacar gifted del Toro the stage two win in Barcelona, forgoing bonus seconds, and later paced him on the Plateau de Solaison and the penultimate stage to secure his podium place.

The most intense moments I've lived in this Tour de France are when I accompanied Isaac across the finish line in Barcelona. It gave me goosebumps. Also when I crossed the line at his side at Alpe d'Huez this Saturday, with which he won the white jersey.

Vingegaard's exit and the peloton

The main threat to Pogacar, two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard, crashed out on stage 15. Hours earlier, both riders had been woken for night-time anti-doping tests, a practice that drew criticism from some in the peloton. Pogacar expressed regret over Vingegaard's withdrawal but noted he shared the podium with "great champions". With Vingegaard gone, Remco Evenepoel moved into second place overall, while French teenager Paul Seixas, recovering from a June crash, led three home riders in the top 10.

The road ahead: Vuelta, Roubaix, and a sixth Tour

Pogacar declined to confirm whether he will ride the Vuelta a España, which starts in Monaco on 22 August and remains the only Grand Tour missing from his palmarès. "We'll see, for now let's enjoy the moment," he said. Paris-Roubaix is also still a target, though he said not winning it "won't be painful". His mother, Marjeta, told reporters: "When it's not fun any more, that's when he will stop." Asked how long he might continue, she added: "Maybe 10 years - I don't know, we'll see." Pogacar himself said he would return next year "to try to win again".