Tadej Pogacar, the 27-year-old Slovenian four-time champion, consolidated his overall lead by taking a storming victory on stage 19 of the Tour de France. Climbing Alpe d'Huez in 35 minutes and 27 seconds, Pogacar was more than a minute quicker than the record set by Marco Pantani three decades ago. Lenny Martinez finished second, while Richard Carapaz came in third on the day.
This victory marked Pogacar's fifth stage win this year and his 26th total since his Tour debut in 2020. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider now leads his nearest general classification rival, Remco Evenepoel, by seven minutes and 11 seconds.
Ecuador's Richard Carapaz won the Tour de France's final mountain stage on Saturday, riding clear to victory in Alpe d'Huez after American Sepp Kuss crashed twice in the closing kilometres. Pogacar safely negotiated the penultimate stage and is all but certain to claim a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title on Sunday.
By achieving this milestone, Pogacar is set to join cycling's all-time greats. He will become one of the few riders to have won the Tour five times and the youngest to have done so.