PARIS (AP) 鈥� Tadej Pogacar confirmed his status as one of cycling’s all-time greats after winning a record-equaling fifth title in emphatic style.
Daring mountain attacks from deep, multiple stage wins and an ice-cool temperament all helped the 27-year-old Slovenian seal his victory on Sunday. He joined Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault as the only riders to win five Tours.
鈥淚鈥檓 speechless. It鈥檚 an incredible day, there was an incredible atmosphere,” Pogacar said. 鈥淚鈥檝e ridden seven Tours already and I鈥檝e always finished on the podium. You might think this is a fairytale, it鈥檚 incredible for me too.鈥�
After competing strongly in Sunday鈥檚 21st and exciting final stage in Paris, Pogacar finished 6 minutes, 26 seconds ahead of Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel in the overall standings.
Two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard was Pogacar鈥檚 main rival heading into the race but the Dane on the 15th stage.
鈥淪hame that Jonas and others crashed out of this Tour,鈥� Pogacar said. 鈥淚 hope we can all fight again next year.”
Pogacar鈥檚 UAE Team Emirates XRG teammate Isaac Del Toro, a 22-year-old Mexican making his , was third at 9:42 back from Pogacar, who smiled and held up his hand to signify his wins. His teammates then joined him as they stood proudly on the Champs-脡lys茅es.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how I do it,鈥� Pogacar said. 鈥淚 now have to find a new goal to chase. Which goal? Let鈥檚 just not jump ahead of ourselves, and enjoy this moment.鈥�
Pogacar but has not won the Spanish Vuelta, which starts on Aug. 22.
鈥淲ill I be at La Vuelta in a few weeks?鈥� he said. 鈥淟et鈥檚 see.鈥�
Peerless Pogacar
Pogacar won five stages at this year鈥檚 race to take his impressive tally to 26 overall.
He tried to win on Sunday, too, but victory ultimately went to Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, who just held off the chasing pack on the home straight for his at this year’s race and fourth overall.
Sunday鈥檚 88.7-kilometer (55-mile) stage looped around Paris and was mostly processional, although less so than in previous years, which were usually entirely flat stages for sprinters and not for the rest of the peloton.
The stage was shortened from 133 kilometers and its starting point in Thoiry, west of the capital, was changed to Paris so as to reduce pressure on emergency services in the southwest. Some security forces initially mobilized for Paris were redeployed to help response efforts.
For the second straight year the stage featured the hugely popular uphill climb through the district, a sharp 1-kilometer dash which riders tackled three times before finishing on the Champs-脡lys茅es.
It proved even too much for Pogacar, who could not match Van der Poel’s raw power in the closing stages.
Shortly before 6 p.m. local time, Pogacar shook hands at the start line with Evenepoel and Ecuadorian veteran , wearing the polka-dot jersey for the best climber.
鈥淚 battled hard to win this jersey, it was a great fight,鈥� the 33-year-old Carapaz said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the best feeling to win it.鈥�
Exciting finale
Van der Poel and Dane Mads Pedersen, the green jersey winner as best sprinter, were among the expected contenders for the stage win.
Crowds roared as the riders began the first climb up Rue Lepic in Montmartre, with the famed Sacr茅-Coeur basilica looming over them.
Pogacar moved ahead after the second ascension of Montmartre, with Van der Poel, Evenepoel and Pedersen alongside him.
Van der Poel attacked on the third and final climb with Pogacar responding well, and the surged ahead.
But they were caught with 700 meters left and, after Pogacar faded, the 31-year-old Van der Poel still had work to do.
He got his bike just over the line ahead of Belgian Jasper Philipsen, his Alpecin-Premier Tech teammate, and Pedersen. Pogacar eased up and finished 30th.
鈥淚 thought the sprinters would catch us up so I launched (my attack) from very far away,鈥� Van der Poel said. 鈥淚 gave everything I had left in my legs and it was just enough.鈥�
Cycling pedigree
Van der Poel is widely considered one of the best cyclists in the world. He has multiple victories in one-day classics and Cyclo-cross world championship titles, and is also a former world road race champion.
His father Adri van der Poel won two stages on the Tour in the late 1980s.
His maternal grandfather was French cyclist , who raced in the 1960s and 鈥�70s, finishing second on the Tour three times and third five times. Nicknamed 鈥淧oupou鈥� and 鈥淭he Eternal Runner-up,鈥� he was adored by French fans.
Women鈥檚 Tour
The nine-stage women鈥檚 Tour starts in the Swiss city of Lausanne on Aug. 1 and finishes in Nice on Aug 9.
Frenchwoman won on debut last year. ___
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