Tadej Pogacar delivered a sensational performance on the legendary Alpe d'Huez yesterday, conquering its famed hairpins in a record time to secure stage 19 victory and dramatically extend his overall lead in the Tour de France. The Slovenian powerhouse clocked an astonishing 35 minutes and 27 seconds over the 13.8km climb, shattering Marco Pantani's 1997 record of 36 minutes 55 seconds.
This monumental win, his fifth stage victory of this Tour and 26th of his career, saw Pogacar become only the second rider in history to win on the mountain while wearing the yellow jersey, a feat previously achieved by Britain's Geraint Thomas in 2018. His dominant display has now pushed his general classification lead to a commanding seven minutes 11 seconds over second-placed Remco Evenepoel, who also attacked late to consolidate his position.
Pogacar launched his decisive move early on the climb, reeling in the remnants of a large breakaway that had held a three-and-a-half-minute advantage. He caught the final survivors, Richard Carapaz and Lenny Martinez, with just 1.8km remaining, before dropping them within the final 1,000 metres. Speaking after his win, Pogacar expressed his gratitude: “It’s very cool to win up here. It was a crazy, crazy atmosphere all climb and it was thanks to all the team that I could pull it off. In the end I was riding for the team-mates today and I’m super happy to take the win.”
Despite some pre-stage speculation about his team's condition, with Brandon McNulty abandoning and Adam Yates and Tim Wellens reportedly struggling, Pogacar showed no signs of weakness. In fact, Yates recovered sufficiently to play a crucial role in an early break, providing valuable support before the final ascent. The initial break of over 40 riders fractured after Mads Pedersen secured intermediate sprint points, but 14 riders still remained at the foot of the Alpe.
As the climb progressed, the lead group dwindled to Carapaz, Martinez, and Sepp Kuss. While Kuss faded, Pogacar's relentless pursuit saw him bridge the gap. His initial attempt to drop Carapaz and Martinez was unsuccessful, but a second surge proved decisive, earning him the stage win by six seconds from Martinez, who subsequently moved up to fifth in the overall standings. British rider Tom Pidcock, a stage winner on Alpe d'Huez in 2022, battled hard after falling back early on the climb, ultimately finishing 20th and maintaining his ninth position overall with one mountain stage remaining before the procession to Paris.