Pogačar dominates (again) to take fourth stage win, Del Toro battles back to take second on stage 14
CyclingSunday, 19 July 2026 at 08:47
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Follow us on GoogleThe fourteenth stage of the Tour de France was won by Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian from UAE Team Emirates-XRG accelerated just below the summit of the final climb and left his rivals behind. He claimed his fourth stage victory in Le Markstein; Isaac Del Toro completed the celebration with second place, ahead of Paul Seixas and Jonas Vingegaard.
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The riders started in Mulhouse, not far from the tri-border area of France, Switzerland, and Germany. In fact, Mulhouse even shares an airport with Freiburg (Germany) and Basel in Switzerland. We won’t be heading there now, though, because a grueling stage through the Vosges awaits the riders.
There are plenty of climbs along the route, but the toughest part comes at the end. The Col du Haag starts off steep with a 3.9-kilometer stretch at a 9.1 percent gradient, followed by a short descent. After that, the climb gradually steepens again, with a final 1.6 kilometers at a gradient of more than 10 percent.
At the top of the climb, which has an average gradient of 7.3 percent over 11.2 kilometers, there are still seven kilometers to go to Le Markstein. We’ve reached that point once before in the Tour de France, in 2023. Tadej Pogacar won that stage, after having definitively lost the Tour de France to Jonas Vingegaard a few days earlier.
Another large leading group
It was pouring with rain at the start. This meant that the attackers held back at kilometre zero, although the approaching intermediate sprint also played a part in this. After twelve kilometres, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) beat green jersey wearer Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), thereby gaining five points in the sprinters’ classification.
After that, the attacks began on the early sections of the Grand Ballon. EF Education-EasyPost were raring to go and caused a significant split in the peloton. Once the dust had settled, we saw a large group at the front, featuring names such as Thymen Arensman, Egan Bernal (Netcompany INEOS), Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), Richard Carapaz (EF), Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step), as well as Tom Pidcock.
The Brit from Pinarello - Q36.5 had already made up over seven minutes in the standings the previous day and was in fourth place, but he made another attempt to move up. This caused UAE Team Emirates-XRG to keep the line tight, much to the displeasure of some of the breakaway riders. After a mountain sprint won by Paret-Peintre, he and Carapaz rode hard.
Bad luck sees Arensman distanced from the leading group
They were soon joined by Tobias and Halland Anders Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) and Ben Healy. This meant that EF Education, like the Norwegian team, had two riders at the front. Behind them, Arensman was still trying to move up. He received help from Einer Rubio and Pablo Castrillo of Movistar. Just as they were closing in, however, the Dutchman suffered a mechanical problem.
Castrillo dropped Rubio off with the leading group, but Arensman had to chase. In the end, he didn’t make it. Meanwhile, the leading group began the ascent of the Ballon d’Alsace, the decisive climb of the thirteenth stage.
He put his team to work hard, with Tim Wellens and Felix Grossschartner pushing on the front of the small peloton. This ensured that the Pidcock group, which also included Arensman, was caught. Only the six leaders remained, and they saw their lead shrink steadily, even though Carapaz and Johannessen both had a domestique with them.
Decathlon puts Pogacar under pressure on the final climb
UAE brought the peloton close to the leaders. Domestiques Healy and Johannessen had done their job there, and so four climbers set off up the final col. But the peloton had already closed the gap to within a minute: Tiesj Benoot (Decathlon CMA CGM) put in a tremendous effort for team leader Paul Seixas. As a result, Pidcock dropped back, but riders such as Jai Hindley and Adam Yates also had to let go.
Carapaz proved to be the strongest in the leading group, but soon felt the favourites breathing down his neck. Sepp Kuss took over the work for Vingegaard. Pogacar’s expected attack failed to materialise, and the race leader climbed just as fast as the domestiques in the favourites’ group. His hopes grew with every kilometre, but when Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) accelerated, the pace picked up slightly. Seixas slipped in behind him.
Kuss closed the gap with every fibre of his being, after which Vingegaard made his move. It wasn’t a blistering acceleration, but a steady pace, as we’ve come to expect. Pogacar was on his wheel, but so were the rest of the top favourites. However, the Dane’s stranglehold soon signalled the end of the road for Remco Evenepoel. He had to drop back a few metres, whilst Del Toro was also struggling.
Pogacar accelerates, Vingegaard gives chase
The efforts of the mountains jersey wearer meant that Carapaz’s lead – who was once again joined by Johannessen – vanished like snow in the sun. The final kilometres of the climb were the steepest. That’s where the leaders were caught, after which Pogacar accelerated. His rivals failed to respond: everyone stayed on Vingegaard’s wheel, except for Del Toro, who dropped back.
The yellow jersey wearer was away on his own, but his Danish rival had also left his fellow pursuers behind. Pogacar was the first to reach the summit, whilst Seixas rejoined Vingegaard. That pair reached the summit some twenty seconds behind the leader, whilst Del Toro also joined them. Ayuso and Lipowitz were joined by the returning Evenepoel.
The final kilometres were undulating towards the finish, playing right into the world champion’s hands. He gained more and more time, crossing the line alone to claim his fourth stage victory in this Tour. Behind him, Del Toro won the sprint for second place, 38 seconds behind. Seixas finished second, Vingegaard fourth: Evenepoel and his group closed the gap but lost a little more time.
Results of Stage 14 of the 2026 Tour de France
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David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- - Pedersen’s engine usually purrs on these power finishes; being 163rd says the virus is still in him. Aguanta un poco, Mads—mejor cuidarte para Montreal.robert6501-09-2026
- - Great call by Lidl-Trek to let Nys sprint for third. Under normal circumstances this is Mads’ terrain, but adapting mid-race is what top squads do. Tronchon’s win was wild—who had that on their bingo card?davidm01-09-2026
- - Can someone explain why he’d stay in the race if he’s poorly? Doesn’t that make the World Championships prep worse, not better?velodromevirtuoso101-09-2026
- - Is a sore throat really enough to lose 12 minutes, though? Wonder if there’s more going on than the team’s letting on. Feels a bit glossed over.lindae01-09-2026
- - Tough break for Mads. You could see from Stage 8 he still had the kick, but Stage 10 looked like the illness really bit. Smart to prioritise Montreal if the throat doesn’t clear—no point burying himself in the Vuelta.sprocketspiny01-09-2026
- Yes, Pogi has won five Tour de France's. He won in 2020/21/24/25/26. Jonas has won two in 2022/23. Pogi also has 13 monuments he has won. Details on a quick Google search or go to procyclingstats.com.qpshealing01-09-2026
- - Great read, but the article mixes up the Worlds timeline a tad. MvdP beat Wout in Glasgow; Pog was third. He hasn’t won the last two road worlds—did you mean GP Montréal twice? Clarify please. Still, allez Mathieu! Vamos!raceready701-09-2026
- - People forget MvdP’s MTB grid spots always hamstring him; it’s not like he lost pure legs. Start loop chaos decides half the race in Val di Sole. Bring on skinny tyres—defending champ vibes in Canada, even if it’s a different profile than Glasgow.pedalpowe2901-09-2026
- - Hoping Pog is okay—collarbone plus a vertebra and a concussion is no joke. Even if he lines up, hard to see him at 100%. GP Montréal history says he loves that parcours though.michael5401-09-2026
- - Wait, if Pogačar won the last two Worlds “by a wide margin,” were those road worlds or something else? I thought Glasgow 2023 was MvdP’s rainbow jersey on the road. Bit confused there.patriciaw01-09-2026
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