Pogačar Enters Tour de France’s Five-Time Club at Age 27

A fifth yellow jersey redraws the record book

Tadej Pogačar completed his third consecutive Tour de France victory in Paris on Sunday, giving the 27-year-old Slovenian five titles from seven starts. He joins Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain as the only five-time winners of cycling’s biggest race.skysports +1

Pogačar finished 6 minutes, 26 seconds ahead of Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, while UAE Team Emirates XRG teammate Isaac del Toro placed third, 9:42 behind, on his Tour debut.apnews +1 The champion has now stood on the podium in all seven of his Tour appearances, and he is the youngest rider to reach five victories—more than a year younger than Merckx was when he achieved the mark.france24

Five stage wins built an emphatic cushion

The result was secured through repeated attacks in the mountains rather than conservative defense. Pogačar won five stages, took the yellow jersey on Stage 6 in the Pyrenees and raised his career Tour stage tally to 26, fourth on the all-time list behind Mark Cavendish, Merckx and Hinault.france24 He also reached 70 days in yellow, passing Indurain and Chris Froome and leaving only Hinault and Merckx ahead of him.france24

The race lost its expected head-to-head dimension when two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard crashed out on Stage 15. Pogačar acknowledged the absence after the finish, saying it was a “shame” that Vingegaard and others had left the race and expressing hope that the leading contenders could meet again next year.apnews +1

Paris delivers a contest rather than a procession

Pogačar still raced aggressively on the shortened 88.7-kilometre finale, joining Mathieu van der Poel near the front after the repeated Montmartre climbs. Van der Poel attacked on the final ascent and survived a late chase to edge teammate Jasper Philipsen in a photo finish on the Champs-Élysées; Pogačar faded in the final 700 metres and crossed in 30th place.apnews +1

The stage had been reduced from 133 kilometres and moved to a Paris circuit because security personnel were redeployed to help respond to wildfires in southwestern France.apnews +1 That disruption did not dull the historical weight of the finish: Pogačar leaves Paris with 70 days in yellow, 26 stage wins and a share of the Tour’s championship record. Asked what comes next, he said he first wanted to enjoy the moment, while leaving open whether he might pursue the Vuelta a España, the only Grand Tour he has not won.apnews