"It was an honor to ride for Isaac for the last two hours" - Tadej Pogacar leaves Tour de France mountains with a golden performance
CyclingSaturday, 25 July 2026 at 18:19
With comfort, Tadej Pogacar has completed the final mountain stage of the 2026 Tour de France. The UAE Team Emirates - XRG is heading into a fifth Tour de France win, having conquered the Alpe d'Huez on stage 19; and crossing the finish line hand-in-hand with Isaac del Toro this Saturday on the queen stage of the race.
Pogacar takes his fifth Tour with UAE
The formula for the stage was not overly complicated, with UAE using its men to keep a steady pace throughout the Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Galibier and the roads inbetween. The stage win looked to be gone, and with Juan Ayuso threatening the positions close to the podium and that of Del Toro himself, Pogacar took the head of the GC group in the final kilometers of the Galibier.
Del Toro looked in slight difficulty, but Pogacar calmed down the pace whilst no-one tested the Mexican rider. On the descent, Col de Sarenne and kilometers that followed, Pogacar paced Del Toro all the way into the finale. With Paul Seixas struggling and Ayuso caught, the goal was achieved at a time where Pogacar himself had already achieved everything that was realistic during the Grand Tour.
"People will talk about how I helped Isaac get the podium, but before that he helped me get the yellow jersey, and the team even more so," Pogacar said in a post-race interview.
"Nils [Politt}, Florian [Vermeersch] on the flat; Felix [Grosschartner], the road captain who made the decisions; Adam [Yates] who has always sacrificed himself, like Brandon [McNulty], from the very beginning. Today it was an honor to ride for Isaac for the last two hours of the race. I did it gladly and realized how hard it is to ride for someone."
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In the final meters of the stage there was space to take it easy. In the final straight of the Alpe d'Huez, the two celebrated what they achieved throughout the three weeks: Overall win, youth classification win and a podium on Del Toro's debut Tour - something Pogacar was keen on assisting throughout the entire three weeks.
"Arriving together at the finish line at the summit of Alpe d'Huez is truly memorable. I did well in this Tour de France, the whole team did a great job, but there was also some bad luck for our rivals," he points out.
"During the three weeks of the Tour de France, a lot can happen, and we managed to come through it. Will be the final 88 kilometers in Paris, and there will be one last show".
Pogacar has helped Del Toro into his first Tour win in Barcelona; and on several stages either paced for the youngster or held himself back when Del Toro was struggling and an attack would see him get dropped.
Pogacar to go for the win in Paris?
Tomorrow in Paris, the ascents of the Butte de Montmartre may still see him in action. 12 months ago, only Wout Van Aert could match him on the cobbled climb, but this time around the Belgian is not present. Pogacar will be contender to win.
"We'll see if I'll go for the win on the Champs-Élysées; we'll see how I feel. I won't take any risks, but Wout isn't here this year, so there will be one less major competitor for the Champs-Élysées," he adds.
Whilst not an obligation, winning in yellow at the Champs-Élysées is possible and would be the perfect way to end the race. "It's not a goal, but if my legs are good and there are no risks, I might try."
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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- You've missed my point. I didn't defend UCI, nor Mauro. On contrary, it sounds to me more like some kind of legal doping, and I was simply wondering if the are active riders who use this approach, legitimate or not.
raven25-07-2026 - awesome story, your husband must be proud of youwhkman25-07-2026
- I mean lance bribed people at the uci to keep their mouths shut. the uci isn't that credible. and mauro is even less crediblewhkman25-07-2026
- He's an extraordinary character. A race leader who rather sacrifice his stage win, not once, not twice but thrice for his teammate during the biggest stage race in the world. This has never been done before. I don't think it will be done again. Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy this while Tadej is still in his peak. The show won't last forever.
KerisVroom25-07-2026 - And he’s already missing half a tooth from an earlier stage!!!mij25-07-2026
- I’m hoping that he would take the win at the Champs-Élysées too ;) but his critics will then say he’s selfish or he’s making the race “boring”.b3tlla25-07-2026
- Pogacar = 🥱
leedorney25-07-2026 - Pogacar = 🥱leedorney25-07-2026
- Pogacar = 🥱leedorney25-07-2026
- Gianetti also said: “And before taking on Riccò, I’d asked him to go to the UCI to be tested. The UCI then sent me a document stating that he did indeed have a naturally high haematocrit level of over 50% ". I understand Contador got such a confirmation for himself, too. I wonder how many riders in the current peloton hold that kind of attestation. We won't get any answers, of course, because it is private information.raven25-07-2026
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