“Tadej, on behalf of the Netherlands: thank you!”: Tom Dumoulin praises Tour champion after helping Van der Poel to unforgettable Paris victory
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel's sensational solo victory on the final stage of the 2026 Tour de France produced one of the race's most memorable finishes in years. While the Dutchman ultimately held off the charging sprinters on the Champs-Élysées, former Giro d'Italia winner Tom Dumoulin believes Tadej Pogacar deserves plenty of credit for making it happen.
“We got the winner we were hoping for”
After the third and final ascent of Montmartre, Van der Poel and Pogacar rode clear together, combining forces as they tried to stay ahead of the peloton. At the Flamme Rouge, their gap was down to five seconds as it came down to the wire in Paris.
Van der poel hit out with one last sprint, while Pogacar gave up as the group surged behind. In the end, Van der Poel narrowly held off the sprinters to seal a spectacular victory in what was a fitting finale to a thrilling Tour de France.
Speaking on De Avondetappe, Dumoulin said the finale was everything fans could have wished for. “We were treated to something special and got the winner we were hoping for.”
He also enjoyed seeing the Tour winner racing aggressively instead of simply defending his overall victory. “It's great to see the Tour winner racing like that as well. Pogacar really wanted to win this stage too, which makes Van der Poel's victory even more beautiful. The greatest rider of this era had this stage marked on his calendar.”
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Ignoring the unwritten rules
For Dumoulin, what made the finale so special was that neither rider followed cycling's traditional tactics. Normally, he explained, Pogacar would have sat on Van der Poel's wheel, knowing the Dutchman was the faster finisher, while Van der Poel might have stopped cooperating once victory looked unlikely against the Tour champion.
Instead, both riders committed fully. “Cycling's unwritten rules would say that Pogacar should tell Van der Poel he's the better sprinter. But he doesn't do that. It's the same as Van der Poel continuing to work all the way up the Oude Kwaremont even though he knows the chances of following are almost zero. That's exactly what Pogacar did here.”
Dumoulin was particularly impressed by what happened inside the final kilometre, when Pogacar unexpectedly returned to the front and pulled one more turn despite knowing it reduced his own chances of winning.
“You see Pogacar take the front again in the final kilometre. That's really to help Mathieu get that victory. He knows that otherwise he has no chance himself. But he still does it.”
The former Grand Tour winner finished with a humorous message for the Slovenian. “Tadej, on behalf of the Netherlands: thank you!”
A finale that must stay
For Dumoulin, the thrilling battle between two of cycling's biggest stars proved that the Montmartre circuit deserves to remain part of the Tour's Paris finale.
“This is cycling at its very best. You know Van der Poel wins nine times out of ten against Pogacar on this course. But even so, look at Pogacar suffering as well.”
“They should never change this. Montmartre has to stay on the route.”
Félix SernaCycling Journalist
Félix Serna is a writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2025. He covers professional cycling across both the men’s and women’s calendars, with a focus on UCI rankings, race developments, and rider performance. His work includes interview-based reports, liveblogs, and tournament coverage designed to provide clear, accurate context throughout the season.
In his reporting, Félix regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical reference. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.
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