"There are still a few races I want to win in my career, but this was one of them" - Sensational Mathieu van der Poel writes history at Tour de France
CyclingSunday, 26 July 2026 at 20:37
An injured Mathieu van der Poel sat and watched the 2025 Tour de France finale and promised himself that the 2026 Champs-Elysees would look different. As the 2025 edition brought a revamped finish of the race with a short Montmartre climb offering something for the classics.
Sunday evening certainly was different as the Alpecin - Premier Tech rider pulled off an astonishing performance to go over the iconic climb with Tadej Pogacar, hold off a chasing peloton and then drop the yellow jersey and win the sprint by centimeters ahead of the sprinters.
A sensational win for the Dutchman underlined a year of hard work as he finishes La Grand Boucle with two stage wins as well as an excellent catalog of temawork to support Jasper Philipsen - who also took a sprint win for the team.
“This means a lot to me. I’ve been working on this for a year,” the former world champion said in his interview after his Paris triumph.
Missing the 2025 Tour, he envisioned his winning moments twleve months before Sunday evening. Labelling the win a dream, van der Poel was proud to do it by out-riding Pogacar.
Sensational Tour de France finale
“Last year I was sick and had to watch this ride on TV. Even then, I was thinking about this moment,” he said.
“The way it went is a dream. It is incredible. It was super tough. To be at the front with the best cyclist in the world… I have a lot of respect for Tadej.”
With a chasing peloton intent on giving the sprinters their day, van der Poel admits he thought their day would be done before the line and didn't look back until he saw his teammate Philipsen inch behind in second place.
He added: “I thought we were going to get caught, but I kept my head down and just rode the last five hundred meters as hard as I could. I just waited for a wheel to pass me, but it just didn't happen. At the very last moment, I see a Pirelli tire next to me, Jasper [Philipsen]’s.”
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It reflects a strong finish to the Tour for Alpecin, who had to wait until week two to get their first win and the finale to make it three. Van der Poel admitted that the Paris win is amongst the biggest in his career.
“This shows that we never give up. The start of our Tour wasn't good, but if you finish first and second on the Champs-Élysées, that's not bad."
“I am super happy. Of course, there are still a few races I want to win in my career, but this was one of them.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Now that it’s over in the way everyone expected, a comparison between Pogačar and Merckx is in order. At this stage in Merckx’s career, he had 13 Monument wins, same as Pogačar, but there’s one left to race this season and Pogačar has never lost it. Merckx is one ahead on grand tours at this stage, unless Pogačar races and wins the Vuelta (which I find unlikely, given other season goals). They're equal on world championships, but this one is in Montreal which is Pogačar’s playground the past few years. This is already a miraculous season for Pogačar, is my point, and he’s equal to the greatest cyclist at equal stages in their careers, but the season isn’t done. A first four-Monument winner? With worlds and the Tour? I’m assuming it will happen. Year 3 of shocking dominance. As I keep saying, what a time to be a fan!RidesHills26-07-2026
- Let me repeat Bruyneels words: "Thijs Zonneveld, you are an idiot." That's all I've got to say !!!mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales26-07-2026
- I think pogi did more domestique duty more than idtZamorano26-07-2026
- If JV didn't abandoned the race, pogi will win stage 15 and 20, because JV will attack and pogi has no choice and has to leave idt behindZamorano26-07-2026
- Do you see him even remotely as a threat to GC? And what's humiliating about that?MajorPayne26-07-2026
- Do you not agree Tadej let Remco go because he doesn't see him even remotely as a threat to GC?mikeb74726-07-2026
- I am not a very big fan of Johan Bruyneel, but when he said the words: "Thijs Zonneveld, you are an idiot." ...Well, I couldn't agree more
Rafionain-Glas26-07-2026 - Wout can be pretty good but as Sepp lives for it, hard to imagine.Jumpyjohn26-07-2026
- May be hard for DT to improve on this result.Jumpyjohn26-07-2026
- That’s cool :-)Jumpyjohn26-07-2026
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