“The best I’ve ever seen” – Sean Kelly stunned by Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar’s epic Tour de France finale
Cycling
Sean Kelly described Mathieu van der Poel’s victory on the Champs-Elysees as the best finish he had ever seen after a spectacular conclusion to the 2026 Tour de France.
Van der Poel survived the charging peloton by the narrowest of margins after going clear with newly crowned five-time champion Tadej Pogacar on the final ascent of Montmartre.
Pogacar was eventually unable to stay with the Dutchman, who entered the finishing straight alone before throwing his bike towards the line as the bunch swept up behind him.
Alpecin-Premier Tech teammate Jasper Philipsen finished only centimetres away and immediately raised an arm in celebration as Van der Poel secured one of the most dramatic victories of his career.
Sean Kelly places Paris finale above anything he has seen
Kelly’s verdict carried considerable weight. The Irishman won the Tour de France points classification four times, claimed nine Monuments and was one of the outstanding one-day racers of his generation.
Asked by TNT Sports whether the finish was the greatest he had witnessed, Kelly did not hesitate. “Yes, that is the best I’ve ever seen and the best I’ve ever experienced,” he said.
Van der Poel had responded when Fred Wright accelerated on Montmartre before Pogacar bridged across. The pair then powered through Paris together as the peloton organised a desperate pursuit behind them.
Their advantage was already fragile when they reached the run towards the Champs-Elysees. Pogacar then lost Van der Poel’s wheel, leaving the Dutchman alone against a bunch that appeared certain to catch him. “You can see that Van der Poel was really struggling,” Kelly said. “I thought he was going to get swallowed up in the last five metres, but you can see the way he just kept it going.”
The line arrived just in time. Van der Poel launched his bike forward before collapsing beyond the finish, having secured his second stage victory of the Tour by millimetres.
Stephens hails greatest Champs-Elysees finish
Matt Stephens believed the closing moments had captured the qualities that make cycling so compelling. “There’s something beautiful about this sport, isn’t there?” said the former professional.
Pogacar had attacked despite already having secured the yellow jersey, Van der Poel matched him and the peloton continued to close until the final metres. “That race, those last few moments, just embodied why we love cycling so much, especially in a theatre like this, with the crowd,” Stephens continued. “It was utterly epic and I’ve never experienced anything quite like it.”
The Montmartre circuit gave the strongest attackers an opportunity to break clear without removing the sprinters from contention. Van der Poel and Pogacar could force the selection, but enough flat road remained for Philipsen and the chasing bunch to threaten them before the line.
“Everything about today was an utter celebration,” Stephens said. “You couldn’t have scripted a better finale in a bike race. I’m hoarse and I’m quite emotionally drained.”
Stephens also placed the stage above every previous finish he had witnessed on the Champs-Elysees. “It was absolutely amazing,” he added. “It really was something special and I think I’m not speaking out of turn to say that was probably the greatest ever finish we’ve ever seen on the Champs-Elysees.”
Blythe backs Montmartre formula after Paris thriller
Adam Blythe believed the stage had shown what can happen when difficulty is balanced with uncertainty. “This is what cycling is, this is how it should always be,” he said. “We always comment on the harder you make cycling, the more predictable it is. Make every race like this where it comes down to something like that, because that’s not going to be repeated for eternity.”
The final circuit left several routes to victory open. Pogacar could attack, Van der Poel could use his power over Montmartre and the sprinters still had enough road to come within centimetres of catching him.
Pogacar ended the afternoon with his fifth Tour de France title. Van der Poel took his second stage win of the race with a Paris victory Kelly called the best he had ever seen and Stephens ranked as the greatest finish on the Champs-Elysees.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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