Tadej Pogacar has survived the final day in the mountains and has virtually confirmed his fourth Tour de France win. The UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider had another strong day on the bike, although he raced the final climb in an unusual way and looked to not try going for the stage win in the final kilometers of the stage.
After resisting the attacks of Jonas Vingegaard on stage 18, Pogacar delivered a psychological blow and was not challenges by Team Visma | Lease a Bike on the final Alpine day. UAE had free reign to keep the pace throughout the shortened 93-kilometer long stage, and rode through comfortably until the start of the 19-kilometer ascent to La Plagne, mostly raced in the rain.
"We were riding really well until the last climb, but other riders thought they could sprint 19 kilometers up that climb," Pogacar said in a post-race interview. "The pace was incredibly high at the start, and I briefly thought Jonas might want to win the stage too, but in the end, he was right on my wheel".
Pogacar attacked with 14 kilometers to go but wasn't able to drop his rival. Afterwards, he let Thymen Arensman go up the road. The Dutchman had already won stage 14 from the breakaway, and was a rider Pogacar didn't mind see winning as he is a friend. "Arensman attacked at a good moment, and I decided not to follow. I kept my pace, for defensive reasons. I felt comfortable with that. Now I'm especially happy it's over: there are still two days until Paris."
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Pogacar wasn't attacked as Jonas Vingegaard looked to also only be eyeing the stage win and following the wheel of the Slovenian. Pogacar paced several kilometers up the final climb but without an extreme pace, and ultimately both rode into the final sprint in the wheel of Florian Lipowitz.
"I had to ride the entire climb at the front, so I finish quite fatigued. I've had three tough days and I'm happy that the tough weekend is approaching," he admits. "It's still the Tour de France, and we have to stay focused for two more days".
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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