Tadej Pogačar will ride into Paris on Sunday ready to be crowned the Tour de France winner for the third successive year and a record-equalling fifth time.

The world champion sealed his latest victory by smashing Marco Pantani’s 1995 record time by 1:13 to win atop the mythical Alped’Huez on Friday. The 27-year-old ascended the 13.8km col at an average speed of 23.9k/h, adding to his folklore and legend, and in the process ensuring that one of the famous 21 hairpins will be named after him.

“It’s a 30-something-years-old record finally broken, so that’s something good for us,” Pogačar said, who admitted, once again, that records don’t motivate him. But the management team of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, fully aware of the significance of winning up the Alpe, were in tears. “I don’t know why they get so emotional,” Pogačar deadpanned. “I guess it meant a lot. Maybe I’ll appreciate it once it settles down.”

This article was published in The Observer in July 2026. To read the full article click here.