JAKARTA - Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar has won the 2026 Tour de France. It is his fifth title in this competition and also makes him equal to the record of the most wins in the event.
Pogacar secured the title after completing the final stage of 88.7 kilometers on Sunday, July 26, 2026, WIB night. The 27-year-old UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider finished at the Champs-Elysees, Paris, with the main group (peloton).
The result makes him join Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain as the most successful male riders in the history of the endurance race.
"This victory is very special. Thank you to all the fans and my team. However, my biggest thanks go to the whole family who have always supported me throughout my life," said Pogacar, quoted from BBC Sport.
Overall, Pogacar has collected 127 victories throughout his eight years as an elite professional racer.
Pogacar admitted that his incredible achievement at this year's Tour de Frace felt more like fiction than fact. He described it as something that wouldn't even be written in a storybook.
"This is really amazing for me. This is an amazing podium with the great champions who are my opponents," said Pogacar.
Pogacar's victory has led many to place him as the best cyclist of all time, even surpassing the achievements and status of Belgian legend Eddy Merckx.
This is also Pogacar's third consecutive victory at the Tour de France. He also set a record climb on the iconic Alpe d'Huez climb in stage 19 when he secured another dominant victory.
It was his fifth stage win in this year's race. Pogacar again relied on explosive acceleration and consistent speed that are difficult to match to get rid of rivals who in recent times have hardly been able to offer resistance.
Pogacar has won almost every major race in the sport, including the Tour of Flanders, Giro d'Italia, Milan-San Remo, Road World Championships, Giro di Lombardia, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
Pogacar also got booed by some fans during the Tour de France. His too dominant performance and far above the competitors made some spectators frustrated because they felt that the competition in the sport was losing its competitiveness.
The final stage of the three-week Grand Tour was won by Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Premier Tech. He sped in the sprint to the finish line on the iconic cobbled streets of the French capital and beat his teammate, Jasper Philipsen of Belgium, by a very narrow margin.
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