LIVE Stage 19, 2026 Tour de France | 5 Battles to watch as the peloton takes on Alpe d'Huez

Welcome to the live blog for Stage 19 of the Tour de France. Cycling fans have had this stage circled in red on their calendars for months, because today is the day we tackle the 21 legendary hairpin turns of Alpe d'Huez. Who will win the 127.9-kilometer stage from Gap to the summit of Alpe d’Huez? IDL Pro Cycling will bring you all of the action live from the start at 2:15 p.m. Below are the 5 key battles you need to keep an eye on.

Stage 19 of the Tour de France is significant not only because of Alpe d'Huez; the dynamics of the race also mean that a whole host of battles are shaping up to be incredibly interesting. First and foremost, there’s Tadej Pogačar in his yellow jersey and the question: does he want to add the legendary Alpe d’Huez to his list of victories? Or will he leave it to the breakaway riders, now that half his team is sick?

If Pogačar goes for it, we’ll know right away that he’s still in top form. If he holds back, it’s either because he has the luxury to do so and a lack of teammates, or because he feels he’s better off conserving his energy. In that case, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe will smell blood with Remco Evenepoel, who will certainly want to test a potentially vulnerable Pogačar. UAE’s racing style will therefore be crucial.

In addition to the battles between Pogacar and the breakaway group and between Evenepoel and Pogacar, we’d also like to highlight the fight for third place in the general classification, with the white youth jersey also at stake. Isaac del Toro (UAE) currently holds third place, but Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) is only 20 seconds behind. The same question applies to Seixas: will he test Del Toro and the UAE team now that they appear vulnerable?

The fourth battle of the day is the one for the breakaway, because whether or not they make it to the finish, many riders will long dream of eternal glory on the Alpe, just like Tom Pidcock did in 2023. With two climbs right from the start, it promises to be a fair fight to see who makes the breakaway. Can a Dutch rider still play a role in this? We’ll be keeping a close eye on Thymen Arensman of Netcompany INEOS.

The final battle? The fight for the polka-dot jersey, for sure. Pogacar holds the mountain jersey, but has only a 1-point lead over Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) and a 7-point lead over Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost). The two will be particularly aggressive on the first two climbs, which will immediately impact Mads Pedersen’s green jersey ambitions. Will the Dane from Lidl-Trek win the intermediate sprint?

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