Pogacar Sets Alpe d'Huez Record to Claim Dominant Stage 19 Victory at Tour de France

Tadej Pogacar delivered a dominant performance on stage 19 of the Tour de France, winning atop Alpe d'Huez and obliterating the legendary 13.8-kilometre climb's standing record. The Slovenian rider's ascent took 35 minutes and 27 seconds, surpassing the previous benchmark set by Marco Pantani in 1997 by more than a minute. Pogacar now leads the race by more than seven minutes, positioning himself for a record-equalling fifth Tour victory.

Record-Breaking Performance on the Mountain

Pogacar's climb time stands as a watershed moment in Tour de France history. The defending champion caught and passed the day's breakaway group—which had built a lead of nearly four minutes—within the final three kilometres of the ascent. Despite pre-race speculation surrounding health concerns within his UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad, Pogacar demonstrated the metronomic climbing efficiency that has defined his dominance throughout the race. His sports director, Matxin Fernández, was moved to tears by the performance, citing the team's collective spirit and cohesion.

Massive crowds, estimated at around 500,000 spectators, flanked the legendary hairpin bends to witness the record attempt. France's Lenny Martinez of Bahrain-Victorious crossed the line in second place, six seconds behind Pogacar, followed by Ecuador's Richard Carapaz of EF Education-EasyPost, who finished third.

Tour Victory Within Reach

At 27 years old, Pogacar now holds a commanding advantage of seven minutes 11 seconds over Belgium's Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. A third-place position is occupied by Pogacar's Mexican teammate Isaac del Toro, nine minutes 42 seconds down. The Slovenian rider is on the verge of joining an elite group of cyclists—Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain—who have each won the Tour five times. The race will tackle Alpe d'Huez once more during Saturday's mountainous queen stage, which features an additional 2,000 metres of climbing, before the final time trial in Paris.