Tadej Pogačar won a record‑equalling fifth Tour de France title on July 26, 2026, sealing victory in emphatic style and joining Eddy Merckx, Miguel Indurain, Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault as five‑time winners. The 27‑year‑old Slovenian finished 6 minutes, 26 seconds ahead of Belgian Remco Evenepoel in the general classification after winning five stages in this edition to take his career total to 26 Tour stage wins. UAE Team Emirates XRG team‑mate Isaac Del Toro, a 22‑year‑old debutant, was third overall at 9 minutes, 42 seconds back. Jonas Vingegaard, Pogacar’s main rival, crashed out on stage 15 and did not contest the finale. The planned final stage was shortened from 133 kilometers to 88.7 kilometers and its start moved from Thoiry to Paris to reduce pressure on emergency services responding to wildfires; organizers retained the Montmartre climb, which riders tackled three times before finishing on the Champs‑Élysées. Mathieu van der Poel won the shortened Stage 21, while Richard Carapaz, 33, secured the polka‑dot jersey and Mads Pedersen took the green jersey. Pogacar said he now must find a new goal and left open the possibility of riding the Vuelta a España, which begins on August 22.
