![\"Poga\u010dar](\"https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2287479787.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPoga\u010dar crushes Alpe d’Huez climbing record and demolishes Tour de France rivals with sledgehammer attack on Alpe d’Huez.<\/p>\n
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(Photo: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Updated July 24, 2026 09:51AM<\/p>\n
Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/a> blew away his rivals and brushed off questions of sickness with a total annihilation of Alpe d\u2019Huez on stage 19 of the Tour de France.<\/p>\n The yellow jersey stomped away from the GC group in the early bends of the infamous switchback climb, gobbled up the breakaway, and all-but sealed yellow with a defiant victory Friday on top of the Alpe.<\/p>\n This was another statement win for the Slovenian.<\/p>\n He bridged more than 3 minutes to the survivors of the day\u2019s early break with an irresistable attack. It earned the Slovenian his fifth victory of the 2026 Tour de France, the 27th of his career, and another place in the record books of climbing times.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar climbed the Alpe in 35:27, demolishing Marco Pantani\u2019s mark by more than 2 minutes.<\/p>\n Lenny Martinez (Bahrain-Victorious) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education EasyPost) finished 2-3 behind the Slovenian after they lit up the front of the race with a climbing duel on the Alps and clung to Poga\u010dar\u2019s wheel through the final kilometers of the iconic climb.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar puts yellow jersey into vice grip<\/p>\n It\u2019s a result that puts Poga\u010dar one huge step closer to a record-equalling fifth yellow jersey.<\/p>\n Remco Evenepoel was the best finisher from the GC group, but he was still 2:29 back on the GOATish Slovenian..<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar now holds the yellow jersey in a vice grip. The four-time winner leads the race over Evenepoel by 7:11 after an attack that landed a bombshell into the GC group.<\/p>\n Isaac Del Toro, Mattias Skjelmose, and Paul Seixas finished close behind Evenepoel, and the top-4 remains unchanged on GC. However, the lead quartet is now split by 10 minutes as Poga\u010dar continues to rule over the Tour de France.<\/p>\n Juan Ayuso and Tom Pidcock both suffered significant losses on the Alpe. They both cracked in the early corners of the 13.8km climb.<\/p>\n High anticipation in the Alps<\/p>\n Friday\u2019s 19th stage was loaded with expectation.<\/p>\n The men\u2019s Tour returned to the mythical 21 switchbacks of Alpe d\u2019Huez for the first time since 2022, just as UAE looked on the ropes with a wave of sickness.<\/a><\/p>\n
![\"Tour](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2286805448.jpg\"\/)
Kuss, Carapaz, and Martinez battled to fend off Poga\u010dar\u2019s lightning chase. (Photo: Christine POUJOULAT \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n