Pogacar Secures Solo Victory on Stage 19 at Alpe d’Huez

Tadej Pogacar claimed a stunning victory on Alpe d’Huez following a prolonged, nail‑biting pursuit on the iconic final climb of Friday’s 19th Tour de France stage.

Launching his attack at 12 km remaining, the reigning champion reeled in Richard Carapaz and Lenny Martinez within the last two kilometres, then pulled ahead with just 800 m left.

This marked his fifth stage win of the year and his 26th career Tour de France stage victory since his debut in 2020.

Notably, it was his first stage win on Alpe d’Huez, an astonishing feat for a rider who has dominated cycling for the past six years.

Martinez finished six seconds behind Pogacar, while Carapaz, the previous day’s stage 18 winner, took third place, trailing by nine seconds.

Pogacar extended his overall lead by over seven minutes over Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, who finished sixth, two and a half minutes adrift.

Evenepoel further widened his advantage over third‑placed Isaac Del Toro, who likewise surged ahead of Paul Seixas.

Del Toro currently trails at 9 min 42 sec, with Seixas at 10 min 06 sec, positioning their contest for the white jersey for the decisive penultimate stage before the final procession into Paris on Sunday.

Martinez surged to fifth overall, edging nine seconds ahead of Mattias Skjelmose, who finished eighth at 2 min 45 sec.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

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