Tadej Pogacar has moved within reach of a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title following the completion of the penultimate stage on Saturday. The 27-year-old Slovenian rider heads into Sunday’s final stage in Paris with a substantial lead of over six minutes ahead of Belgian Remco Evenepoel. If successful, Pogacar will join cycling legends Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain as the only men to have won the Tour de France five times, while also becoming the youngest to achieve this milestone.
Saturday’s 20th stage, often regarded as the Queen stage of the race, covered a grueling 170 to 171 kilometers, featuring four major climbs, including three hors catégorie ascents—Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Galibier, and Col de Sarenne—and one Category 1 climb at Col du Télégraphe. The challenging mountain terrain tested the riders after nearly three weeks of intense competition.
Ecuadorian rider Richard Carapaz secured a stage victory for the second time in this Tour by breaking away near the end, overtaking American Sepp Kuss along the descent near Alpe d’Huez. Carapaz’s aggressive strategy was aimed at securing the polka-dot jersey awarded to the best climber, a goal he achieved by amassing maximum points on the major ascents throughout the day. His victory marks his third overall Tour stage win, and he stands eighth in the general classification.
The stage was marked by a dramatic moment when Kuss, having been in contention for a stage win, crashed twice in the final kilometers. On the second crash, he narrowly avoided a serious fall down a ravine thanks to safety netting on a sharp mountain bend. Despite the setbacks, Kuss continued to the finish but was overtaken by Evenepoel, who finished second on the stage.
Pogacar, meanwhile, adopted a conservative approach, choosing not to launch attacks as he preserved his overall lead. His primary focus was supporting his AE Team Emirates teammate Isaac Del Toro, who finished the stage alongside him and solidified his position in third place overall. Del Toro, 22, also secured the white jersey awarded to the best young rider, finishing comfortably ahead of French teenage contender Paul Seixas.
With Pogacar leading Evenepoel by approximately 6 minutes and 30 seconds and Del Toro almost 10 minutes behind in third, the final stage on Sunday is expected to be a ceremonial ride into Paris, making Pogacar’s fifth Tour victory all but certain. Pogacar has already won five stages this year, contributing to a career total of 26 Tour stage wins, putting him on track to challenge historical records set by riders such as Mark Cavendish, Eddy Merckx, and Bernard Hinault in future races.