Tadej Pogacar won the 19th stage of the Tour de France on Friday, atop Alpe d'Huez. The Yellow Jersey caught the last breakaway riders after a spectacular comeback on the final climb, before finishing 6 seconds ahead of Lenny Martinez and 9 seconds ahead of Richard Carapaz. The Slovenian secured his fifth victory in this edition and the 26th of his career in the Tour de France.
A large breakaway formed right from the start of the stage
The riders covered 127,9 km between Gap and Alpe d'Huez, on a route that included the Col Bayard, the Col du Noyer, the Col d'Ornon, and the final 13,8 km climb at 8,1%. Around forty riders managed to break away, including Richard Carapaz, Lenny Martinez, Sepp Kuss, Adam Yates, Valentin Paret-Peintre, and Mads Pedersen. Valentin Paret-Peintre crested the Col Bayard first and then the Col du Noyer, securing valuable points for the King of the Mountains classification. Richard Carapaz then took the points at the summit of the Col d'Ornon. Mads Pedersen won the intermediate sprint and further solidified his position in the race for the green jersey.
Martinez, Carapaz and Kuss take control
The leading group gradually thinned out as they approached Alpe d'Huez. Bruno Armirail worked for Sepp Kuss for a long time before dropping back on the first few slopes. Lenny Martinez and Richard Carapaz also accelerated, eventually forming a leading trio with the American rider from Visma-Lease a Bike. At the foot of the 21 hairpin bends, the three men still held a lead of around 3 minutes and 30 seconds over the Yellow Jersey group. This margin seemed sufficient to contest the victory, before Tadej Pogacar decided to launch a long-range attack.
Pogacar attacks nearly 12 km from the summit
With 11,8 km to go, Tadej Pogacar launched a brutal attack. Remco Evenepoel, Isaac Del Toro, Paul Seixas, Mattias Skjelmose, Tom Pidcock, and Juan Ayuso couldn't follow. The Slovenian immediately found himself alone and began to gain time on the leading group. Pogacar then rejoined his teammate Adam Yates, who had been in the initial breakaway. The Briton gave him a few turns at the front before letting him continue his climb. The lead held by Carapaz, Martinez, and Kuss was rapidly shrinking. With 4 km to go to the summit, the breakaway riders had only about thirty seconds left. Sepp Kuss was the first to drop back. Pogacar caught Richard Carapaz and Lenny Martinez with less than 2 km remaining. The three riders stayed together briefly before a final acceleration from the Yellow Jersey in the last kilometer.
Lenny Martinez holds on until the final meters
Tadej Pogacar crossed the finish line victorious, 6 seconds ahead of Lenny Martinez. The Frenchman had a strong chance of winning for much of the day after spending a significant portion of the day at the front. He held off the chasing Yellow Jersey and conserved enough energy to finish ahead of Richard Carapaz, who came in third, 9 seconds back. Sepp Kuss finished fourth, 1 minute 14 seconds behind. Tobias Halland Johannessen took fifth place, 2 minutes 07 seconds back, ahead of Remco Evenepoel, 2 minutes 29 seconds behind. Isaac Del Toro finished seventh, 2 minutes 41 seconds back. Paul Seixas and Mattias Skjelmose crossed the finish line together, 2 minutes 45 seconds behind, while Harold Tejada completed the top ten, 3 minutes 22 seconds back.
Paul Seixas remains 24 seconds off the podium
Paul Seixas couldn't respond to Pogacar's attack, but the Frenchman limited his losses against the other general classification contenders. He finished eighth on the stage, just four seconds behind Isaac Del Toro. Seixas maintains his fourth place in the general classification, only 24 seconds behind the Mexican. The final podium therefore remains within reach for the Decathlon CMA CGM rider before the last mountain stage. Lenny Martinez also had an excellent day. His second-place finish at the summit allowed him to consolidate his fifth position. He maintains a nine-second lead over Mattias Skjelmose and extends his advantage over Juan Ayuso to nearly three minutes.
Pogacar now has a lead of more than seven minutes
After this 19th stage, Tadej Pogacar remains in the overall lead with a time of 67 hours and 53 minutes. Remco Evenepoel is in second place, 7 minutes and 11 seconds behind. Isaac Del Toro is third, 9 minutes and 42 seconds back, just 24 seconds ahead of Paul Seixas, who is fourth at 10 minutes and 06 seconds. Lenny Martinez is fifth, 13 minutes behind, ahead of Mattias Skjelmose, who is sixth at 13 minutes and 09 seconds. Juan Ayuso is seventh, 15 minutes and 58 seconds behind. Richard Carapaz moves up to eighth place, 21 minutes and 15 seconds back, ahead of Tom Pidcock at 21 minutes and 30 seconds. Jordan Jegat remains tenth, 23 minutes and 21 seconds behind. Three French riders are thus among the top ten in the Tour: Paul Seixas, fourth; Lenny Martinez, fifth; and Jordan Jegat, tenth.
Carapaz takes the lead in the mountains classification
Thanks to the points collected during the stage, Richard Carapaz takes the lead in the mountains classification with 91 points. However, he only has a one-point advantage over Tadej Pogacar. Valentin Paret-Peintre follows with 84 points, leaving the battle for the polka dot jersey wide open. Mads Pedersen, meanwhile, consolidates his lead in the points classification. Isaac Del Toro retains the white jersey as best young rider, with a mere 24-second advantage over Paul Seixas. Lenny Martinez occupies third place in this classification.
A final day in the Alps to decide the podium contenders.
Tadej Pogacar emerges even stronger from the finish at Alpe d'Huez. The Slovenian now holds a very comfortable lead over Remco Evenepoel and seems headed for another overall victory in the Tour de France. The battle for third place, however, remains very tight. Isaac Del Toro has only a 24-second advantage over Paul Seixas. Lenny Martinez and Mattias Skjelmose are also separated by just 9 seconds for fifth position. The final mountain stage will therefore be decisive for the podium, the white jersey, and the King of the Mountains classification.
