Results Tour de Suisse 2026 stage 4 | Tadej Pogacar beats Mathieu van der Poel by four hundredths in dramatic Aarburg time trial
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar has won the stage 4 individual time trial at the 2026 Tour de Suisse by just four hundredths of a second, denying Mathieu van der Poel after a dramatic finale in Aarburg.
Van der Poel had looked on course for a remarkable victory after setting the fastest time in the hotseat, completing the 23.7-kilometre course in 26:38.03. Pogacar, last down the ramp in the yellow jersey, then stopped the clock in 26:37.99 to take the stage win by the smallest possible margin.
The result gives Pogacar another victory in a Tour de Suisse already shaped by his control of the general classification.
For Van der Poel, it was still his clearest statement of the week after a relatively quiet opening three stages, but the Alpecin - Premier Tech rider was denied at the finish by a margin barely visible on the timing screen.
Van der Poel benchmark almost survives
The stage had first taken shape around Tim Wellens, who produced the first serious benchmark for UAE Team Emirates - XRG. The former Belgian time trial champion beat Nils Politt’s time by more than 30 seconds and caught four riders during his effort, immediately raising the level after the opening wave of riders.
Van der Poel then moved the race again. He went 12 seconds faster than Wellens at the 10.3-kilometre intermediate point and carried that advantage to the finish, also ending 12 seconds clear of the Belgian at the line.
On a largely flat and fast Aarburg course, with temperatures around 34C, the Dutchman’s ride turned the afternoon into more than a waiting game for the final GC starters. Tobias Foss later produced a strong second half to move into third, while Mathias Vacek briefly looked like a major threat after going faster than Van der Poel at the intermediate split.
Vacek could not hold that pace through the final kilometres, eventually finishing fourth at 10.8 seconds. Foss took third at 6.7 seconds, with Wellens fifth at 12.2 seconds.
Pogacar tightens grip before final mountain stage
Pogacar had reached the intermediate checkpoint less than a second faster than Vacek and around four seconds up on Van der Poel, setting up a three-way fight for the stage win. By the finish, the yellow jersey had done just enough to beat Van der Poel’s time and add another stage victory to his race.
The Slovenian had started the day with a 2:50 lead over Richard Carapaz in the general classification, with Andrea Bagioli third, Vacek fourth and Finlay Pickering fifth. Pogacar also had Carapaz in sight during the final part of the time trial, underlining the scale of the advantage he was building before the race heads to its final mountain stage.
Primoz Roglic had started earlier among the GC names but was already 23 seconds down on Van der Poel at the intermediate split and did not enter the stage-winning fight.
Pogacar now heads into Sunday’s final stage to Villars-sur-Ollon with his Tour de Suisse lead strengthened again, while Van der Poel leaves Aarburg with his strongest performance of the race so far and a near miss measured in hundredths.
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Carlos Silva is a writer for CyclingUpToDate.com, where he contributes race reports, interviews, analysis pieces, and live coverage of the international cycling calendar. Holding a degree in Sports from the Jean Piaget Institute, he combines academic knowledge of performance, training, and competition with hands-on journalism experience in professional cycling.
Throughout his career, Carlos has conducted interviews with leading figures in the sport, including Alberto Contador, Joaquim Rodríguez, Óscar Pereiro, João Almeida, Isaac del Toro, Derek Gee, John Degenkolb and Geraint Thomas. These conversations reflect direct engagement with Grand Tour winners, Classics specialists, and emerging talents.
He has provided on-site coverage at major events ranging from the Vuelta a España to the Tour de France, alongside stage races such as Vuelta a Andalucía, Volta ao Algarve, Volta a Portugal and O Gran Camiño. Covering the mythical climbs of the Giro d'Italia remains one of his professional ambitions.
Carlos is responsible for liveblog coverage of all major WorldTour races and beyond, including the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España. His reporting integrates verified data from ProCyclingStats to ensure statistical accuracy, contextual depth, and analytical precision.
A lifelong cycling enthusiast, he approaches storytelling across written, photographic, and video formats with a focus on credibility, tactical insight, and informed race interpretation.
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
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