Inside the final kilometre, Pogacar finally made contact, ending Martinez’s brave solo bid before riding on to complete the stage and overall double.
Pogacar turns final climb into decisive chase
The final stage around Villars-sur-Ollon had been built around repeated ascents of the Col de la Croix, with long climbs, descents and temperatures around 36C turning the last day into far more than a controlled procession.
UAE managed the yellow jersey group for much of the afternoon, with Tim Wellens prominent before the final climb. The team kept Pogacar protected while a strong breakaway fought for the stage ahead, but the race changed once Martinez, Lemmen and Quintana split clear from the front group before the final 10 kilometres of climbing.
Martinez then pressed on alone, dropping both Lemmen and Quintana and briefly looking capable of denying Pogacar one final stage win. The gap began to fall rapidly once Pogacar attacked, with Richard Carapaz unable to follow the first acceleration from the yellow jersey.
From there, the finale became a direct pursuit. Pogacar cut through the remains of the breakaway, caught Quintana with five kilometres to go, then swept past Lemmen soon after. Martinez held on longest, but the final kilometre proved too much against a rider who had already controlled the race from the opening stage.
Pogacar has dominated the 2026 Tour de Suisse
Vervaeke secures mountains jersey
Before the stage-winning battle exploded, Louis Vervaeke had already settled the mountains classification. The Soudal - Quick-Step rider used the breakaway to take maximum points on the Col de la Croix twice, building an advantage that put the KOM jersey beyond Pogacar’s reach.
The break had featured several strong climbing names, including Martinez, Quintana, Lemmen, Mauro Schmid, Finn Fisher-Black and Bauke Mollema, but the repeated climbs gradually stripped the group down before the final ascent.
The heat also shaped the day, with several riders leaving the race as the Alpine finale took its toll. Mikel Landa was among those to abandon during the stage, while a number of riders had already failed to start before the final mountain test began.
Pogacar’s victory completes a dominant
Tour de Suisse for UAE Team Emirates - XRG. He won the opening stage with a long solo in Sondrio, took the stage 4 time trial in Aarburg by four hundredths of a second ahead of Mathieu van der Poel, and then finished the race by chasing down Martinez on the final climb.
UAE also won stage 3 through Jhonatan Narvaez, leaving the team with four victories from five stages and Pogacar with the overall crown before the Tour de France.