Pogacar wins Alpe d'Huez stage, extends Tour lead to 7:11

Tadej Pogacar delivered a dominant solo victory on the iconic Alpe d'Huez climb on Friday, July 24, 2026, further cementing his seemingly unassailable lead in the Tour de France with just two stages remaining. The four-time champion powered away from his rivals early on the legendary ascent, chased down a breakaway group, and won Stage 19 to extend his overall advantage to seven minutes and 11 seconds.

The Slovenian rider for UAE Team Emirates launched his decisive attack just two kilometers into the 13.8-kilometer climb, immediately distancing his closest competitors in the general classification, including second-placed Remco Evenepoel. Ahead of him, a leading trio consisting of American Sepp Kuss, Frenchman Lenny Martinez, and Ecuador's Richard Carapaz, the previous day's stage winner, held an advantage of over three minutes. Pogacar relentlessly closed the gap, catching Carapaz and Martinez inside the final two kilometers before dropping them with a final acceleration just 800 meters from the finish line.

Martinez of Bahrain Victorious finished second, six seconds behind, with Carapaz of EF Education-EasyPost taking third, nine seconds back. Pogacar's winning time for the...