Tadej Pogačar stands on the brink of a historic fifth overall victory after the queen stage of the 113th Tour de France. The Slovenian rider from UAE Emirates-XRG dominated the brutal Alpine stage — 170.9 kilometres with 5,450 metres of elevation through the Alps to Alpe d’Huez — and heads into Sunday’s final stage to Paris in the Yellow Jersey with a comfortable lead.
Richard Carapaz took the stage win. The Ecuadorian from EF Education-EasyPost, who had already won Stage 18 on Thursday, triumphed as part of a breakaway group and secured the polka dot jersey for the second time after 2024. Pogačar and teammate Isaac Del Toro finished 1:05 minutes behind Carapaz, with Pogačar actively supporting Del Toro for much of the stage, guiding him to third place in the overall standings and the White Jersey as the best young rider.
Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel will complete the podium in Paris in second place. Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe trails Pogačar by 6:26 minutes, while Del Toro follows in third, 9:42 minutes behind.
With his fifth Tour victory, Pogačar joins cycling legends Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx, and Miguel Indurain. Tour director Christian Prudhomme had previously described the stage—featuring the Col de la Croix-de-Fer, Col du Télégraphe, and Col du Galibier—as the “hardest mountain stage in Tour history.”
Sepp Kuss had a lucky escape at the front. The American from Team Visma-Lease a Bike landed in a safety net seven kilometres from the finish after a handling error on a descent, which saved him from a potentially serious crash. Carapaz seized the moment and celebrated the stage victory.
On Sunday, the peloton will traditionally roll along the Champs-Élysées, with Pogačar’s Yellow Jersey no longer under threat.
