Untouchable in every sense of the word: Tadej Pogačar writes Tour de France history with record time on Alpe d'Huez
CyclingFriday, 24 July 2026 at 18:17
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Follow us on GoogleThe Alpe d'Huez absolutely did not disappoint in the Tour de France on Friday. Tadej Pogacar ultimately managed to win stage 19 to the Dutch mountain, after dealing with Lenny Martinez and Richard Carapaz in an absolute spectacle. Remco Evenepoel once again proved to be the second-best climber in the general classification, while Juan Ayuso was the big loser.
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The riders had warmed up before the start, as the road began to climb straight from kilometre 0. The Col Bayard was the first climb of the day, and there we immediately saw a very interesting situation unfold. The peloton split in two, and suddenly we had a leading group of 43 riders.
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That group included general classification contenders such as Lenny Martinez (seventh), Richard Carapaz (tenth) and Yanis Voisard (eleventh), domestiques such as Adam Yates, Nico Denz and Matthew Riccitello, as well as attackers including Sepp Kuss, Matteo Jorgenson, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Ben Healy, Harold Tejada, Ben O’Connor, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Pablo Castrillo and Guillaume Martin. Also in the mix once again: Mads Pedersen.
A very interesting leading group, then, with UAE behind them who, despite the fact that half the team seemed to be battling illness, simply took control. At the front, just like the day before, it was time once again for mountain sprints between Paret-Peintre and Carapaz. The Frenchman won the first on the Col Bayard and, despite a lead-out from EF, also the second on the Col du Noyer.
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UAE receives support from Red Bull, but the peloton fails to close the gap
By the time they reached the summit, the large leading group had built up a lead of just over three minutes over the peloton, where UAE were still maintaining a steady pace. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe decided to put a rider at the front for the long, flat section of this stage. At the back of the peloton, we then saw a strange crash involving Edward Planckaert and Marco Haller. Both riders were able to continue.
Not much happened during the middle section, although we suddenly saw Edoardo Affini’s withdrawal appear on screen. His Visma team-mate Per Strand Hagenes, for his part, was riding just ahead of the broom wagon. Just after the intermediate sprint, Matteo Jorgenson also had to drop out. Despite Bruno Armirail’s superb turns at the front, the Visma team did not seem to be in peak condition.
Incidentally, Pedersen did brilliantly in the intermediate sprint. After another day on the attack, he extended his lead to 57 points over his closest rival, Jasper Philipsen, and the Dane from Lidl-Trek was thus virtually assured of the green jersey in Paris. Not long after that, alongside Jorgenson, Paret-Peintre also had to drop out. The exertions were really starting to take their toll by now.
The pace was picking up considerably all round
And the peloton in the meantime? It hadn’t closed the gap by a single stitch. Pinarello-Q36.5 also decided to send a rider to the front, but the lead of the (now slowly shrinking) breakaway was still well over four and a half minutes as they approached the final stretch. This gave the breakaway riders an ever-increasing chance of success.
On the Col d’Ornon, the third climb of the day, Armirail continued to push the pace, causing the breakaway group to thin out rapidly. In the peloton, it was down to Derek Gee-West – who had ridden hard at the front of the breakaway earlier in the day – to raise the tempo. The Canadian did just that, and there too the group thinned out at lightning speed.
At the front, 14 riders remained at the summit of the Ornon: Carapaz, Arensman, Armirail, Kuss, Simmons, Martinez, Tejada, Riccitello, Johannessen, Tobias Foss, Einer Rubio, Javier Romo, Tiesj Benoot and Mattia Cattaneo. Carapaz managed to pick up 5 points at the summit in the battle for the mountains jersey.
Fireworks at Alpe d'Huez right from the start
By now, the peloton was certainly no longer a peloton, but a group of 15 favourites. Jordan Jegat of TotalEnergies was already out of the picture, leaving Tom Pidcock on his own very early on. The remaining breakaway riders arrived at the foot of the legendary Alpe d’Huez with a lead of three and a half minutes.
We were treated to a battle on two fronts. After Pidcock, Ayuso also had to drop back very early on, whilst at the front Arensman was already accelerating more than 12 kilometres from the finish. The Dutchman had Martinez, Kuss and Carpaz on his wheel. Romo and Riccitello would also join them.
Meanwhile, at the back of the peloton, it was Pogacar who also made his move very early on. The Slovenian broke away immediately and no one even attempted to follow him. The yellow jersey had flown off again! Yates was still in the mix and was thus able to put in a substantial turn at the front for Pogacar.
At the front, Arensman had to drop back quite early on, leaving only Martinez, Kuss and Carapaz in the lead. The EF rider tried repeatedly but just couldn’t shake off Martinez. Kuss kept setting his own pace. Second by second, however, the yellow jersey closed in on the trio, turning it into a thrilling battle between Pogacar and the breakaway riders.
The breakaway riders were watching each other too closely; Pogacar joined them in the very final stages
The breakaway riders were certainly keeping a close eye on one another, and so the ‘Yellow Rocket’ was closing in rapidly. Carapaz accelerated once again, for a change, at the 5.4-kilometre mark, but Martinez countered once more. When Kuss also rejoined the group, the Frenchman, amidst the deafening roar of the Alpe d’Huez slopes, called for them to work together.
The atmosphere was fantastic, although Pogacar couldn’t quite see exactly where he was supposed to go. Fortunately, there were barriers in the final stretch, and there Carapaz managed to shake off Martinez and Kuss. In the background, we could now see Evenepoel accelerating, but he couldn’t get through the crowd. With a bit more space, he managed to do so.
After his surge, Carapaz had just an 8-count lead over Pogacar, who had overtaken Kuss but had Martinez hot on his heels. The Ecuadorian, who had managed to win the stage the day before, gave it his all, but couldn’t prevent Pogacar from catching up with him. Behind them, Del Toro left Seixas and Skjelmose in his wake.
With 1.5 kilometres to go, Pogacar launched an attack, but Carapaz and Martinez managed to stay with him. At the 900-metre mark, he launched another attack, which proved too much for the brave breakaway riders. The Slovenian won, broke the Alpe d’Huez climbing record and left absolutely everyone speechless.
Results of Stage 19 of the 2026 Tour de France
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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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
- - Beautiful tribute, but one small gripe: the piece could use more clarity on the timeline and verification of the crash details. Fans deserve precise info when safety is at stake.andrewf14-08-2026
- - Such a bright future ahead—Willebrord years, then IPT Academy deal lined up, plus the family pedigree. This one really hurts the whole peloton. Courage to his mates and staff. Força, Fin. Descanse em paz.cadencekingm14-08-2026
- - Can someone explain how race security works at the Tour of Portugal? The article mentions two different versions (oncoming car vs stationary car). Which is it, and who’s responsible for closing those roads?davidm14-08-2026
- - Devastated. Neutralising the stage was the only respectful call. But how on earth does a car end up on course during a live stage in 2026? Someone needs to answer for this.robert6514-08-2026
- - Heartbreaking news. Finlay had real talent against the clock, third at the U23 TT nats this summer said it all. Deepest condolences to the Tarlings and NSN. Rest in peace, Fin.julien14-08-2026
- - Small nitpick: calling her team “UAE Team L’Imad” looks off – isn’t it UAE Team ADQ? If there’s been a rebrand, would love a link. Otherwise top article.sprocketspiny13-08-2026
- - Great read, cheers. Montreal Worlds on Sept 26 is a punchy course, right? If it’s more classics-style, that could really suit ELB’s diesel plus race smarts. Forza Elisa!gearguru3313-08-2026
- - When she says focus shifts after 2026 toward the 2027 TdFF, does that mean she’ll skip a full GC tilt at the 2026 Giro? Or will she ride it as prep and target stages like this year?cyclechamp4513-08-2026
- - Are we sure the gap to Vollering “isn’t that big”? On the climbs Demi looked untouchable, and Kasia too. ELB needs a sharper team train in the high mountains or she’ll be chasing again inlindae13-08-2026
- - Massive respect for ELB. Coming back from bronchitis and that rough Giro to snag third in Nice says everything about her engine and race craft. Loved how she managed the final three stages – proper veteran nous.michael5413-08-2026
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