Pogacar crowns queen stage in Alpe d'Huez and is close to his fifth Tour overall victory

Key stage with 5,600 meters of elevation gain

The stage covered 127.9 kilometers from Gap to Alpe d'Huez and, with around 5,600 meters of climbing, was considered the toughest of this year's Tour de France. The route featured three categorized climbs in the highest category, including the Col de la Croix-de-Fer, the Col du Télégraphe, and the Col du Galibier, which serves as the Tour's summit with an average gradient of nearly seven percent over 17.7 kilometers. More than half a million spectators created a madhouse atmosphere on the mountain and, on parts of the final climb, left the pros only a narrow lane.

A 15-rider breakaway group with more than three minutes' advantage had entered the final climb. But Pogacar launched the decisive attack already 13 kilometers from the finish and, around 700 meters from the line, also shook off the last remaining escapees. In the end, the Slovenian triumphed ahead of French local hero Lenny Martinez and Ecuadorian Tokyo Olympic champion Richard Carapaz, who had won the day before. American Sepp Kuss was also part of the lead group but could not match Pogacar's pace.

Dominant display against Evenepoel and Seixas

Despite the energy expended the previous day, Pogacar said he had strong legs. «Ich hatte gute Beine und es gibt nicht mehr viele, die mit mir mithalten können», said the leader. Already after two of the 13.8 kilometers, the overall leader had attacked and seemingly effortlessly distanced his biggest remaining rivals Remco Evenepoel and the young Frenchman Paul Seixas. His own teammate Felix Gall, who had been deployed as Decathlon captain the day before, also could not keep up the pace.

In the general classification, the 27-year-old extended his lead over the Belgian double Olympic champion Evenepoel — who reached the finish in sixth place, 2:29 minutes back — to 7:11 minutes. Third place is held by Pogacar's Mexican teammate Isaac del Toro, who sits 9:42 minutes behind the leader. Thanks to Pogacar's help on the stage, del Toro was able to secure his podium spot. «Es war eine Ehre, heute für Isaac zu fahren», Pogacar said after the race, calling it an «unvorstellbaren» double success for the team.

Lipowitz narrowly misses the podium

Florian Lipowitz from the Palatinate, who had won the 16th stage, narrowly missed the Tour podium as fifth-placed finisher, 10:06 minutes back. «Felix hat ein gutes Tempo vorgelegt. Es hat heute halt einfach nicht gereicht», the visibly disappointed Lipowitz said on ZDF. Richard Carapaz, meanwhile, moved up from tenth to eighth overall thanks to his third-place finish on the stage. Swiss rider Yannis Voisard celebrated a solid day, reaching the finish in 13th.

First Slovenian winner in Alpe d'Huez

With his first triumph in the legendary ski resort, Pogacar becomes the first Slovenian winner in Alpe d'Huez, which was climbed again for the first time in four years. «Dieses Jahr wird es ikonisch sein, weil wir zweimal dort hochfahren», the superstar had predicted beforehand. With the victory in Alpe d'Huez, the Slovenian further expanded his impressive collection: it was his fifth stage win of this year's Tour and his 26th overall. In the all-time stage-win record list, only Mark Cavendish with 35 and the two five-time Tour winners Eddy Merckx with 34 and Bernard Hinault with 28 remain ahead of him.

But the queen stage also had its darker moments. The Carinthian pro from the Tudor team lost his line around 75 kilometers from the finish, after the descent of the Col du Noyer, and crashed into the concreted base of a traffic sign. The 33-year-old was briefly checked by the official Tour doctor while still riding and was able to continue the race without any apparent serious injuries. The second crash of the day occurred on the Col du Noyer itself, where another rider fell and had to abandon.

Wave of illness and crash overshadow the race

Behind the scenes, several riders reported a wave of illness in the peloton. «Man hört von vielen Fahrern im Feld, dass sie angeschlagen sind und krank sind», one pro said. Nils Politt also struggled with the strain: «Wir versuchen uns zu separieren», he explained, describing his team's tactic of staying out of the chaos in the middle of the peloton.

Queen stage for the second time in a row

Before the grand finale in Paris, the riders face another 170.9 kilometers on Saturday, when the queen stage of this year's Tour de France ends in Alpe d'Huez for the second year in a row — this time approached from the other side, with the Col de la Croix de Fer, the Col du Galibier at 2,642 meters, and the Col du Sarenne as further highlights. The stage from Le Bourg d'Oisans to Alpe d'Huez promises once again to be a cycling spectacle of the highest order.

Instead of the originally planned 133 kilometers, only 89 kilometers are on the program on Sunday, when the 113th Tour de France traditionally ends on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. For Pogacar, this final stage is now only about safely bringing home his fifth overall victory. He has worn the yellow jersey of overall leader uninterruptedly since the seventh stage.

On the way into the club of five-time winners

With his fifth Tour victory, Pogacar would ascend into the illustrious circle of five-time Tour winners, which, alongside Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain, also includes Britain's Christopher Froome with four wins. Should the Slovenian succeed, he could in the coming years push further toward the all-time mark of eleven Grand Tour victories held by Eddy Merckx. At the 2019 Vuelta a España, Pogacar had already finished third as a 19-year-old; he has since developed into an absolute exceptional talent.

Pogacar already ranks among the fastest climbers in Tour history. At 27, he has already mastered numerous legendary ascents and could break the one record or another in the coming years. The cycling world will follow the Slovenian superstar's next appearance on Saturday in Alpe d'Huez and on Sunday in Paris with great anticipation.