UAE Team Emirates-XRG stands on the brink of a fifth Tour de France title, with Pogačar at the top of the general classification after stage 20
Monday 27 July, 2026
Completing a thrilling final stage on Sunday evening, Tadej Pogačar crossed the finish line in Paris to win his fifth Tour de France with UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
In doing so, Pogačar equals the all-time record of Tour wins, joining an elite club that he now shares with Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain. Each of them a legend of the sport, Pogačar now sits at cycling’s highest table.
His latest Tour de France triumph came courtesy of a peerless performance across three weeks, from Barcelona to Paris. Along the way, the world champion picked up five stage victories and made the most of the incredible support of his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates.
To make the moment all the sweeter for the Emirati squad, Pogačar’s young teammate Isaac del Toro finished third overall in the final general classification. That result brings Del Toro victory in the young rider classification, and with it, the prestigious White Jersey.
As he took his place on the final podium, the 22-year-old became the first Mexican rider in history to do so, marking another milestone moment in the youngster’s career.
Between Pogačar and Del Toro, UAE Team Emirates-XRG claimed six stage wins in this year’s Tour de France, and placed two riders on the podium for the second time in three years. It has been an edition marked by outstanding performances from the whole team, with Pogačar establishing an unassailable lead over his Yellow Jersey rivals early on in the race.
Continuing to impress throughout, Pogačar took a famous victory on Alpe d’Huez on Friday afternoon, before helping his teammate Del Toro to defend his White Jersey on Saturday’s stage 20. With his characteristic panache, the now-five-time Tour de France champion even went on to illuminate the final stage on Sunday.
Pogačar, clad in his all-Yellow skinsuit and with a matching Colnago Y1Rs, used the Montmarte circuit in Paris to mount multiple audacious attacks in a bid to end the race in style. A sixth stage victory would not be forthcoming for the Slovenian, but end the race in style he certainly did.
Alongside Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Premier Tech, the 27-year-old went clear of the peloton on the final ascent of the iconic city-centre climb. Just months on from the pair’s battles on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, the pair were determined to put on a show once again.
A world removed from cycling’s toughest Monument Classic, Pogačar and Van der Poel brought the curtain down on the biggest Grand Tour of the season with a plomb. Once over the crest of Montmartre, the two entertainers worked together in a bid to extend their advantage and deny the peloton a chance at a bunch sprint.
Through the final 9km of racing, the back-and-forth battle between the peloton and the leading duo was intense. The gap, hovering at around 10 seconds, never seemed to budge in either’s favour. That was until the last 2km, when every squad with a sprinter sent their forces to the front of the bunch, in a bid to deny Pogačar and Van der Poel.
Committed until the last, both riders drained their resources in a bid to pull off the most unlikely of victories. For Pogačar, the well was dry with around 500m to ride, at which point the Slovenian was forced to relent and watch Van der Poel make one final sprint towards the finish line.
With Pogačar swamped by the oncoming peloton, Van der Poel strained his every muscle towards the line. For the Dutchman, victory on stage 21 was a fitting prize for his ride on the streets of Paris.
As the Dutchman collapsed in exhaustion beyond the line, his breakaway partner Pogačar sat up and softly pedalled through the final few hundred metres on the Champs-Élysées. It was his moment to smile and take in the moment, as he became a Tour de France champion for the fifth time in seven years.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG man raised his hand to the air, gesturing his five fingers to make note of the moment. It was a history-making evening for the Slovenian, who takes his third title on the bounce.
After crossing the line, Pogačar was soon joined by his teammates who had delivered time and time again on behalf of their friend and colleague throughout the race’s 21 stages.
Isaac del Toro, Felix Großschartner, Brandon McNulty, Nils Politt, Florian Vermeersch, Tim Wellens, and Adam Yates – each of them had made their own significant contributions to this latest Pogačar triumph. Overcoming illness, extreme heat and, naturally, competition from the world’s best, UAE Team Emirates-XRG left its indelible mark on this year’s Tour de France.
At the end of the 113th edition, the Emirati squad could celebrate Pogačar in the Yellow Jersey as race winner, Del Toro in the White Jersey as the best young rider, and the six thrilling stage wins taken along the way.
It was a Tour de France to remember.
Pogačar: “It was an amazing day, and I am speechless. It was an incredible day, an incredible atmosphere. I am happy that it is over and that we won for the fifth time.
“Every victory is really special, and seven Tours already and seven times on the podium, with five wins, it is something that you wouldn’t even write in a storybook. It is just unbelievable also for me. The most important thing is that you enjoy what you are doing, and you have good people around you that you trust. They help youy, they are there foer you when you are on your lowest, then you can build yourself and chase your dreams. You have to set your goals always, and now I need to find a new goal after this.
“It is a magnificent podium. Incredible champions to fight against in this Tour. It was a shame that Jonas crashed out of this Tour, and many others, we wish them a quick recovery so that next year we can fight again.
“If you enter the Tour de France, you have to suffer; you have to go through a lot to be at the Tour. You meet the biggest rivals, everybody in great shape, and everybody here is giving their best – so you have to suffer as well. Now let us enjoy this moment.”
