2026 Tour de France S21 Live Report: Toucy → Champs-Élysées — Montmartre Rewrites the Finale, Van der Poel Steals Paris from the Sprinters

July 26, 2026, the final day of the 113th Tour de France.

The original script was this: start from the town of Thoiry in Yvelines, race 132.5 kilometers into Paris, tackle the steep slopes of Montmartre, and finish with a sprint on the Champs-Élysées.

What actually happened was different. Because wildfires in the Gironde department caused a police manpower shortage, the stage was shortened by 43.8 kilometers: the pre-race sign-in ceremony was still held in Thoiry, but the teams then took a shuttle into Paris, and the race started directly from the Champs-Élysées, with a total length of just 88.7 kilometers.

And taking this rewritten final stage was the most difficult person to categorize in cycling—Mathieu VAN DER POEL (ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH). His teammate Jasper PHILIPSEN took 2nd place, giving the team a 1-2 finish on the Champs-Élysées.

On the same day, Tadej POGAČAR wore his fifth Tour de France overall winner’s yellow jersey in Paris.

Here is the complete account of this stage, along with a full review of the 21 days of the 2026 Tour de France.

1. A Final Stage Rewritten by Wildfires

First, let’s clarify what happened.

The original design for Stage 21 was 132.5 kilometers, starting from Thoiry, heading towards Versailles and into the southwestern suburbs of Paris. It first climbed a Category 4 climb, the Côte du Pavé des Gardes (0.7 km, average gradient 9.7%), then entered the Montmartre circuit in the city, climbing the Côte de la Butte Montmartre multiple times (approximately 1.0 to 1.1 km, average gradient 6.5%, summit elevation around 128 meters), before descending to the finish on the Champs-Élysées.

But before the race, wildfires in the Gironde department led to a large number of police being deployed south for support. The Tour’s Paris final stage requires an enormous police presence for road closures and security—the Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, Montmartre, and the area around Sacré-Cœur are all among Paris’s most sensitive public spaces. With police resources stretched thin, the organizer, A.S.O., made a reasonable decision: keep Thoiry’s ceremony and its status as the stage town, but compress the actual race into central Paris.

So the stage became this: the sign-in podium in Thoiry went ahead as usual, the teams made their appearances as usual, then they took a shuttle into Paris, and the race officially started from the Champs-Élysées, with a total length of 88.7 kilometers, retaining the Category 4 climb design including three ascents of Montmartre, with the final 11 kilometers descending back to the finish on the Champs-Élysées.

This wasn’t the first time this edition’s route was adjusted due to external factors. Stage 9 was shortened by 30 kilometers due to a red heat warning; Stage 4 was held in temperatures approaching 40 degrees; and spectator access was restricted in the Pyrenees on Stage 3 due to wildfires. The 2026 Tour de France was an edition repeatedly disrupted by climate and fires, and the shortening of the final day was just the last footnote in that narrative.

From a competitive standpoint, 88.7 kilometers isn’t actually that short for a final stage. Traditional Champs-Élysées final stages are usually between 100 and 130 kilometers, with the first half being a celebratory cruise and the real racing only happening in the final tens of kilometers of the city circuit. After the shortening, it was as if the celebratory cruise was skipped entirely—it was racing from the very first kilometer—which ironically made the stage more compact and more intense.

The winner’s time was 1 hour 58 minutes 49 seconds, translating to an average speed of about 44.8 km/h for the stage. That number says it all: this was no leisurely ride.

2. Thoiry: The Start That Never Happened

Although the race didn’t actually start from Thoiry, this small town still deserves an introduction—it’s one of the most unique among the 21 stage towns of this edition.

Thoiry is located in Yvelines, west of Paris, with a population of only about 1,450 people. It’s famous for two things: a magnificent Renaissance-style château, and one of the largest wildlife parks in Europe.

Wow Safari Thoiry opened in 1968 and is home to over 1,500 animals, divided into themed areas such as the drive-through African savanna (elephants, zebras, giraffes) and the American reserve (black bears, bison). It attracts over 600,000 visitors annually. For a town of just over a thousand residents, that’s a staggering number—visitors outnumber residents by more than 400 times.

The Tour’s choice of this location for the final stage start fits A.S.O.'s recent route philosophy: not just finding a convenient city, but finding a place “with a story and visual appeal.” Helicopter footage of the peloton riding through country roads beside the wildlife park would make great television.

Unfortunately, in 2026, that image never materialized. Thoiry became one of the rare stage towns in Tour history that was “named but never actually raced through.”

3. Montmartre: The Second Year of Breaking the Champs-Élysées Formula

To understand the significance of the 2026 final stage, you first need to understand the Champs-Élysées tradition itself.

Since 1975, the Tour has fixed the final stage finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. This avenue, stretching from the Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Concorde, has become one of the most famous finish lines in cycling—the place sprinters want to win more than anywhere else once a year, and the place where the overall champion raises a glass of champagne in the evening sun. (The only exception was 2024, when the Tour finish was moved to Nice due to venue requirements for the Paris Olympics.)

For fifty years, this formula has barely changed: a first-half cruise, team photo opportunities, the yellow jersey sipping champagne, then entering the Champs-Élysées circuit, the lead-out trains unfolding, and the final decision on the straight before Place de la Concorde. It’s a ceremony “guaranteed to be won by a sprinter.”

Then the organizers added Montmartre.

The Côte de la Butte Montmartre is the climb leading to the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, about 1.0 to 1.1 kilometers long with an average gradient of 6.5% and a summit elevation of around 128 meters. By pure climbing standards, this is only a Category 4 climb, and even that is generous. But its key isn’t the gradient—it’s the road surface and environment:

• Cobblestones and rough pavement. Parts of Montmartre retain old Parisian paving, slippery and bumpy, completely different from the asphalt of the Champs-Élysées.
• Extremely narrow roads and sharp corners. This is a 19th-century neighborhood, not designed for bicycle racing.
• Repeated multiple times late in the stage. Climbing 1 kilometer at 6.5% once is nothing for a professional; but surging up it three times within a 50 km/h circuit accumulates anaerobic load that will empty the legs of pure sprinters.
• Extremely high spectator density. The area around Sacré-Cœur is already one of Paris’s most popular tourist spots, and the human wall effect when the Tour passes makes the roads even narrower.

The effect of this design is very clear: it means the Champs-Élysées no longer guarantees a sprinter’s victory. “All-round attackers” who can climb short hills, handle technical sections, and still have enough speed suddenly have a chance to take this most famous final stage.

The result in 2026 was the best proof of this design.

4. Route Analysis: Three Times Up Montmartre and the Final 11 Kilometers

After the shortening, Stage 21 started from the Champs-Élysées, with the route unfolding through central Paris, including a Category 4 climb, three times up the Côte de la Butte Montmartre, and finally descending from Montmartre, covering approximately 11 kilometers back to the finish line on the Champs-Élysées.

Technical breakdown of the Montmartre climb:

• Positioning before the climb is key. Because the roads are narrow, being 20th at the bottom versus 5th can mean a difference of 5 to 10 seconds. All teams start fighting for position 2 kilometers before the climb.
• The explosive effort on the climb. One kilometer at 6.5% is roughly a 2 minute 15 second to 2 minute 30 second effort for a professional, with intensity in the VO2max zone. After three consecutive efforts, a pure sprinter’s explosive power drops noticeably.
• The descent and corners after the summit. The descent from Montmartre is the most dangerous part of this section—narrow, sharp, uneven road surface, and often done while the peloton is already strung out.
• Recovery between laps. Between coming down from Montmartre and the next ascent, there’s a relatively flat urban section where speeds can exceed 55 km/h. How you draft and position during this section determines your state when you hit the next climb.

The final 11 kilometers: From the last descent of Montmartre to the finish on the Champs-Élysées is about 11 kilometers. The nature of this section is “regrouping”—the peloton, shattered by Montmartre, tries to reform here, and sprint teams desperately try to pull back anyone who has escaped. But 11 kilometers at 55 km/h is only about 12 minutes, so if a gap of over 20 seconds has already been established, catching back is extremely difficult.

The final straight on the Champs-Élysées itself has its nuances: the surface is cobblestones, the width is enormous, riders usually come in from the direction of Place de la Concorde, and the final 500 meters are a slight uphill. The sprint here requires not just top speed, but also a very long sustained effort and excellent positioning judgment.

5. Pre-Race Situation: Yellow Jersey Decided, What Was Actually at Stake Today

Entering the final day, the general classification was as follows:

• POGAČAR 72 hours 53 minutes 44 seconds
• EVENEPOEL at 6 minutes 26 seconds
• DEL TORO at 9 minutes 42 seconds
• SEIXAS at 11 minutes 56 seconds
• MARTINEZ at 13 minutes 02 seconds

According to Tour tradition, the general classification times on the final stage are frozen once the race enters the city circuit (unless a split occurs), so these five positions were essentially already decided. The green jersey (PEDERSEN), polka dot jersey (CARAPAZ), and white jersey (DEL TORO) were also mathematically locked in.

So what was at stake today?

First, the most valuable stage win in the Tour de France. The stage victory on the Champs-Élysées carries weight in a sprinter’s career second only to the World Championship. Many sprinters’ entire year’s goal is this one day.

Second, the annual ranking of sprinters. The green jersey was decided, but who wins on the final day determines the narrative for the entire season.

Third, a window of opportunity for attacking riders. Because of Montmartre, this stage is no longer the exclusive domain of pure sprinters. For attacking riders who have had no results all Tour, this is their last lottery ticket.

6. Race Report (1): An Unusual Start from the Champs-Élysées

In a normal final stage, the first 50 kilometers are a celebration. The yellow jersey team lines up for photos, teams take turns coming up to pay their respects, and the speed might be just over 30 km/h.

In 2026, there was none of that.

Because the race started directly from the Champs-Élysées, was only 88.7 kilometers long, and the route was almost entirely within the city circuit, this race was a real race from the very first kilometer. The winner’s average speed of 44.8 km/h is a very high number for an urban stage containing three climbs and numerous corners.

This kind of start favors two types of riders: those who want to escape (with no slow cruise phase, breakaways are easier to establish in the chaos), and those who can repeatedly produce anaerobic efforts (because Montmartre comes sooner and more frequently).

For pure sprinters, it was bad news. The slow cruise in the first half of a traditional final stage is actually an important window for sprinters to conserve energy. Removing it was like throwing them directly into the meat grinder of three Montmartre ascents.

7. Race Report (2): Three Times Up Montmartre

The three ascents of Montmartre were the real race of this stage.

Several judgments can be made from the results sheet:

First, the peloton was not completely shattered. The official results record the top 30 all at 1 hour 58 minutes 49 seconds—crossing the line in the same time. This means the final deciding group had at least 30 riders, indicating that while Montmartre caused selection, it didn’t cause a decisive split.

Second, selection did indeed happen. Looking at the composition of the top 30: VAN DER POEL, PHILIPSEN, PEDERSEN, Max KANTER, Olav KOOIJ, Matej MOHORIČ, Michael MATTHEWS, Biniam GIRMAY, Jasper STUYVEN, Filippo GANNA, Marco HALLER, Victor CAMPENAERTS, Jonas ABRAHAMSEN… This is a list of “fast legs who can climb short hills,” not a list of “pure sprinters.” The fact that riders like MOHORIČ, CAMPENAERTS, ABRAHAMSEN, and GANNA could stay in the deciding group itself shows that Montmartre filtered out some of the pure heavyweight sprinters.

Third, 30th place was Tadej POGAČAR. The yellow jersey crossed the line in the same time as the deciding group—he not only didn’t get dropped, but followed all the way to the end. For someone leading the GC by 6 minutes 26 seconds and needing to take zero risks, this was quite a characteristic move.

Fourth, ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH completed a 1-2 finish. VAN DER POEL 1st, PHILIPSEN 2nd. This kind of result usually means one thing: the team had two cards in the final phase, and they played both correctly.

8. Race Report (3): Van der Poel’s Timing

The final 11 kilometers, descending from Montmartre, back to the Champs-Élysées.

VAN DER POEL’s winning method is the most discussable part of this stage. The official results show the top 30 crossing in the same time, indicating the final decision happened within an extremely short distance—either a reduced-group sprint or an attack in the final few hundred meters, with time differences too small to show on the results sheet.

Either way, the key was timing. VAN DER POEL’s specialty is exactly this: he’s not a top-tier pure sprinter (in a completely unaffected flat sprint, he might not beat PHILIPSEN or PEDERSEN), but he’s one of the riders in the world best at judging “when to make the move.” In a group weakened by Montmartre, on a slightly uphill cobbled straight, his explosive power and sustained effort became the optimal solution.

And PHILIPSEN taking 2nd place provides another clue: ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH was clearly playing their cards with both riders in the final phase. When a team takes the top two spots at the finish, it’s usually because they controlled the pace in the final kilometer, preventing other teams’ lead-out trains from organizing.

3rd place was green jersey Mads PEDERSEN. For him, this was a perfect ending—even without winning, standing on the third step of the Champs-Élysées podium wearing the green jersey fulfilled one of the career goals he had publicly stated.

9. Complete Top 30

Rank	Rider	Team	Time
1	Mathieu VAN DER POEL	ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH	1:58:49
2	Jasper PHILIPSEN	ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH	Same time
3	Mads PEDERSEN	LIDL-TREK	Same time
4	Max KANTER	XDS ASTANA TEAM	Same time
5	Olav KOOIJ	DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM	Same time
6	Matej MOHORIČ	BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS	Same time
7	Rick PLUIMERS	TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM	Same time
8	Anthony TURGIS	TOTALENERGIES	Same time
9	Milan FRETIN	COFIDIS	Same time
10	Clément RUSSO	GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED	Same time
11	Biniam GIRMAY	NSN CYCLING TEAM	Same time
12	Jasper STUYVEN	SOUDAL QUICK-STEP	Same time
13	Michael MATTHEWS	TEAM JAYCO ALULA	Same time
14	Filippo GANNA	NETCOMPANY INEOS CYCLING TEAM	Same time
15	Huub ARTZ	LOTTO INTERMARCHE	Same time
16	Marco HALLER	TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM	Same time
17	Tobias JOHANNESSEN	UNO-X MOBILITY	Same time
18	Javier ROMO OLIVER	MOVISTAR TEAM	Same time
19	Alexandre DELETTRE	TOTALENERGIES	Same time
20	Brent VAN MOER	PINARELLO-Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM	Same time
21	Simone VELASCO	XDS ASTANA TEAM	Same time
22	Alex KIRSCH	COFIDIS	Same time
23	Alex ARANBURU DEVA	COFIDIS	Same time
24	Mike TEUNISSEN	XDS ASTANA TEAM	Same time
25	Fred WRIGHT	PINARELLO-Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM	Same time
26	Vlad VAN MECHELEN	BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS	Same time
27	Nelson OLIVEIRA	MOVISTAR TEAM	Same time
28	Victor CAMPENAERTS	TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE	Same time
29	Jonas ABRAHAMSEN	UNO-X MOBILITY	Same time
30	Tadej POGAČAR	UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG	Same time

10. Final Classification of the Four Jerseys

Yellow Jersey (Overall Winner): Tadej POGAČAR (UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG), 73 hours 56 minutes 26 seconds

Green Jersey (Points Classification): Mads PEDERSEN (LIDL-TREK)

Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountains): Richard CARAPAZ (EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST)

White Jersey (Best Young Rider): Isaac DEL TORO ROMERO (UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG)

Team Classification: LIDL-TREK

Most Combative Rider (Super-Combativité): Richard CARAPAZ

Final General Classification Top 20

Rank	Rider	Team	Gap
1	Tadej POGAČAR	UAE Team Emirates XRG	73h56’26"
2	Remco EVENEPOEL	Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe	+6’26"
3	Isaac DEL TORO	UAE Team Emirates XRG	+9’42"
4	Paul SEIXAS	Decathlon CMA CGM	+11’56"
5	Lenny MARTINEZ	Bahrain Victorious	+13’02"
6	Mattias SKJELMOSE	Lidl–Trek	+14’59"
7	Juan AYUSO	Lidl–Trek	+17’48"
8	Richard CARAPAZ	EF Education–EasyPost	+20’00"
9	Tom PIDCOCK	Pinarello–Q36.5	+29’28"
10	Jordan JEGAT	TotalEnergies	+33’21"
11	Yannis VOISARD	Tudor Pro Cycling	+38’02"
12	Tobias JOHANNESSEN	Uno-X Mobility	+56’37"
13	Sepp KUSS	Visma–Lease a Bike	+1h02’23"
14	Davide PIGANZOLI	Visma–Lease a Bike	+1h03’43"
15	Jai HINDLEY	Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe	+1h23’28"
16	Nicolas PRODHOMME	Decathlon CMA CGM	+1h25’01"
17	Tiesj BENOOT	Decathlon CMA CGM	+1h32’56"
18	Quinn SIMMONS	Lidl–Trek	+1h35’28"
19	Sean QUINN	EF Education–EasyPost	+1h47’05"
20	Egan BERNAL	Netcompany INEOS	+1h47’58"

Egan BERNAL in 20th place deserves a mention—2019 Tour de France champion, 2021 Giro d’Italia champion, who nearly lost his life and career in a training accident in 2022. That he could complete the 2026 Tour and finish in the top 20 overall is itself one of the most moving stories of this edition.

11. The Champs-Élysées: One Avenue, Fifty Years of Ritual

The Champs-Élysées finale isn’t just a race; it’s the most important ritual in the sport of cycling. It’s worth a section to explain its components clearly.

Tradition One: The Yellow Jersey’s Champagne. During the cruise section before entering Paris, the overall leader’s team hands over champagne, and the whole team raises their glasses while riding, with photographers and TV cameras following throughout. This image repeats every year but never gets old—because it’s the first moment an athlete is allowed to relax after three weeks of extreme suffering. In 2026, due to the shortened stage and the direct start from the Champs-Élysées, this element was significantly compressed.

Tradition Two: Team Photos and Salutations. Teams take turns riding up beside the yellow jersey team to pay respects and take photos. Retiring riders are specially acknowledged, and young riders are pushed to the front. It’s a form of professional courtesy among peers.

Tradition Three: The Champs-Élysées Circuit. The back-and-forth circuit from Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe, with cobblestone pavement, flanked by Paris’s most expensive storefronts, finishing towards Place de la Concorde. The sprint here is one of the hardest of the year—the vibration of the cobbles affects handlebar control and pedaling, the wide road complicates crosswinds and positioning, and the slight uphill in the final 500 meters punishes those who launch too early.

Tradition Four: The Awards Ceremony and Victory Lap. The four jerseys, team classification, and most combative rider are awarded in sequence, followed by a victory lap for all riders.

Since 1975, the Tour has fixed its finish on the Champs-Élysées, with only 2024 moving the finale to Nice due to Paris Olympic venue requirements. Starting in 2025, the organizers added the Montmartre climb to the final stage, breaking the fifty-year formula of “the Champs-Élysées is always won by a sprinter.” 2026 continued this design, and after being shortened to 88.7 kilometers, it actually made Montmartre’s weight even greater—because there was no slow cruise beforehand for recovery.

This change hasn’t been without controversy among riders. Supporters argue it finally makes the final stage a real race rather than a performance with a predetermined result; opponents argue that sprinters, after three weeks of mountain suffering, should keep this one day as their stage. The 2026 result—an all-round rider known for technique and timing defeating a group of sprinters—is perfect material for this debate.

12. Van der Poel: The Man Who Can’t Be Categorized

Mathieu VAN DER POEL deserves his own section.

This Dutchman comes from a cycling family, started in cyclo-cross, and then extended his reach to road, gravel, and mountain biking. His father Adrie VAN DER POEL was a Dutch star of the 1980s, and his maternal grandfather is the French legend Raymond POULIDOR—the national hero known as the “eternal runner-up,” who stood on the Tour de France podium eight times but never wore the yellow jersey. This lineage means that every VAN DER POEL victory in France carries an extra layer of narrative in the local media.

His list of achievements is extremely rare:

• 8 Monument classic victories: Milan–San Remo (2023, 2025), Tour of Flanders (2020, 2022, 2024), Paris–Roubaix (2023, 2024, 2025).
• 8 Cyclo-cross World Championships (2015, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026).
• 1 Road World Championship (2023).
• 1 Gravel World Championship (2024).

This makes him the only rider in history to have won the men’s World Championship in three different disciplines (cyclo-cross, road, and gravel).

In the Tour de France, his record is 4 stage wins (2021, 2025, 2026 editions) and 6 days in yellow in 2021. In 2026, he took both Stage 9 and Stage 21, with the latter being the most symbolic stage win of all.

What makes VAN DER POEL special is that he runs completely counter to the “specialization” trend of his era. The mainstream of contemporary cycling is extreme specialization—sprinters train for sprints, climbers train for climbs, time trialists train for time trials. But he’s someone who grew up in the mud, can crush on cobblestones, can sprint in a World Championship, and can steal a victory on a small hill in Paris.

In a Tour completely dominated by POGAČAR, having VAN DER POEL close it out on the final day was, in a sense, a small balance the sport gave its audience.

13. The Arithmetic of the Green Jersey and This Edition’s Sprint Landscape

The green jersey (points classification) system deserves an explanation for unfamiliar viewers.

The Tour awards sprint points based on stage type: flat stages give the most points at the finish (1st place 50 points, descending to 15th place), hilly stages give fewer (1st place 30 points), and mountain stages and time trials give the least (1st place 20 points). Additionally, each stage has an “intermediate sprint” mid-route, where the top 15 can score points (1st place 20 points).

The design intent of this system is clear: it rewards not the fastest rider, but the most consistent and combative one. A pure sprinter who only performs on flat stages, gets dropped on hilly stages, and fights to survive the time cut on mountain stages will struggle to win the green jersey. Conversely, an all-round fast rider who can sprint on flats, keep up on hilly stages, and grab points at intermediate sprints is the ideal candidate for the green jersey.

Mads PEDERSEN is exactly that kind of rider.

The Dane, born 1995, rides for LIDL-TREK. In 2019, he won the World Road Championship in the rain in Harrogate, England—the first time a Danish male rider had done so. His positioning is between a classics specialist and a sprinter: he can survive on cobblestones, climb short hills, and win reduced-group sprints. He has won Gent–Wevelgem three times (2020, 2024, 2025) and the Hamburg Cyclassics in 2023.

In the Grand Tours, he has now won the points classification in all three Grand Tours—he is only the sixth rider in history to achieve this feat. The 2026 Tour green jersey was one of the career goals he had publicly stated.

This edition’s sprint landscape: Tim MERLIER won three stages (7, 8, 12) and had the strongest pure sprinting ability, but he abandoned on Stage 15. Jasper PHILIPSEN won Stage 17 and took 2nd on the final stage. Olav KOOIJ took his first career Tour de France stage win on Stage 5. Søren WÆRENSKJOLD won Stage 11. And PEDERSEN won only one stage (a breakaway victory on Stage 4), yet secured the green jersey through his consistency throughout the entire Tour and his accumulation of intermediate sprint points—a perfect embodiment of what the green jersey system was designed to reward.

14. Stage 21 Team Tactical Review

ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH — A Perfect Finale

A 1-2 finish. When a team takes the top two spots on the Champs-Élysées, it means they had two cards in the final phase and their opponents couldn’t neutralize both simultaneously. The VAN DER POEL and PHILIPSEN combination is one of the best “dual aces” of the modern era—one who can survive technical sections and climbs, the other a pure high-speed sprinter. On a route with Montmartre, this combination has the highest margin for error: if the group is intact, PHILIPSEN sprints; if the group is shattered, VAN DER POEL takes over. The 2026 result was the latter.

LIDL-TREK — Green Jersey Plus Team Classification

PEDERSEN finished 3rd and went to the podium wearing the green jersey. The team also won the team classification, with 6th (SKJELMOSE) and 7th (AYUSO) in the GC. In terms of breadth of achievements across the entire Tour, LIDL-TREK may have been the most successful team after UAE.

UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG — No Risks Taken

POGAČAR finished the race in 30th place, crossing in the same time as the deciding group. This is a very interesting detail: he could have safely coasted to the finish in the middle or back of the group, but he chose to stay at the front. This was both to avoid crash risk (the front of the group is safer than the back) and consistent with his personality.

DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM — A French Edition

KOOIJ finished 5th. Across the entire Tour, this French team took 4th overall (SEIXAS), 16th (PRODHOMME), 17th (BENOOT), and a stage win. SEIXAS’s 4th overall is one of the best results by a French rider in the Tour in recent years.

Others worth mentioning: TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM had two riders in the top 20 on the final stage (PLUIMERS 7th, HALLER 16th); COFIDIS had three riders in the top 25. For small and mid-sized teams, these are exposures with real sponsorship value.

15. The Historical Significance of Pogačar’s Fifth Title

Tadej POGAČAR won his fifth Tour de France overall title in 2026 (2020, 2021, 2024, 2025, 2026).

This number ties him with the four greatest names in cycling history: Jacques ANQUETIL, Eddy MERCKX, Bernard HINAULT, and Miguel INDURÁIN. In over a century of Tour de France history, only five men have stood on the top step of the Paris podium five times.

His other numbers are equally staggering:

• He was only 21 when he first won in 2020, making him the youngest Tour champion since Henri CORNET in 1904.
• In 2020 and 2021, he simultaneously held the overall, mountains, and young rider classifications—only Eddy MERCKX in 1972 had done this before him.
• 2024 Giro d’Italia champion, winning by nearly 10 minutes, the largest margin since 1965; that same year he completed the Giro-Tour double and won the World Road Championship.
• World Road Champion in both 2024 and 2025. In the 2024 edition in Zurich, he went solo from over 100 kilometers out.
• Dominance in one-day classics: three Tour of Flanders titles (2023, 2025, 2026), four Liège–Bastogne–Liège titles (2021, 2024, 2025, 2026), five consecutive Il Lombardia titles (2021 to 2025), and finally adding Milan–San Remo in 2026.
• 262 total weeks at World Ranking #1, an all-time record.
• In 2024, he wore the leader’s jersey for 39 consecutive days across the Giro and Tour, surpassing MERCKX’s 37 days from 1970.

And in the 2026 edition, he additionally left two climbing records: the Col du Tourmalet on Stage 6 and Alpe d’Huez on Stage 19 (35 minutes 26 seconds), the latter breaking the record Marco PANTANI had held for thirty-one years.

Regarding his historical standing, perhaps the fairest statement is: at his age, no one has ever done this much. From 2020 to 2026, he won five Tours, interspersed with a Giro, two World Championships, and thirteen Monument classics—of the five Monuments, he’s only missing Paris–Roubaix. His racing style is also completely different from the four previous five-time winners: ANQUETIL calculated with time trials, INDURÁIN dominated with time trials, MERCKX overwhelmed across the board, HINAULT relied on willpower and control, while POGAČAR is the only one who has brought “one-day racing tactics” into the Grand Tours—no matter how big his lead, if he sees an opportunity, he attacks.

The Alpe d’Huez on Stage 19 was the clearest evidence of this character.

16. Full Edition Review (1): Starting in Barcelona, Defined at Tourmalet

The 113th Tour de France, July 4 to July 26, 2026, total distance 3,245 kilometers, 21 stages.

This edition’s Grand Départ was in Barcelona, Spain, and the opening day was a 19.6-kilometer team time trial—the first time the Tour had opened with a team time trial since 1971, a gap of over half a century. TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE took the victory, and Jonas VINGEGAARD put on the first yellow jersey.

Stage 2 (Tarragona→Barcelona, 168.5 km) was contested on the Montjuïc circuit, won by Isaac DEL TORO—only the second Mexican rider in history to win a Tour de France stage.

Stage 3 (Granollers→Les Angles, 195.9 km) entered the Pyrenees, where POGAČAR attacked to take the stage and the yellow jersey. Spectator access was restricted on this stage due to nearby wildfires.

Stage 4 (Carcassonne→Foix, 181.9 km) was held in temperatures approaching 40 degrees. A breakaway succeeded, with Mads PEDERSEN taking the stage win; Norway’s Torstein TRÆEN, having made the big breakaway, took the yellow jersey.

Stage 5 (Lannemezan→Pau, 158.3 km) was won by Olav KOOIJ, his first career Tour de France stage victory.

Stage 6 (Pau→Gavarnie-Gèdre, 186.2 km) was the defining point of the entire edition. The route crossed the Col du Tourmalet, where POGAČAR went solo, reportedly setting a new record for the climb (about two minutes faster than the previous best). He finished with a 2 minute 38 second lead, reclaiming the yellow jersey and establishing a 2 minute 42 second overall lead. On the same stage, yellow jersey holder TRÆEN crashed on a descent, suffering a concussion and multiple rib fractures, and abandoned the next day.

From the moment Stage 6 ended, the suspense of the 2026 Tour shifted from “who will win” to “by how much.”

17. Full Edition Review (2): Heatwave, Flat Stages, and Mid-Race Attrition

Stages 7 through 13 formed the “middle section” of this Tour—lots of flat roads, some hills, and persistent extreme heat.

Stages 7 and 8 (Bordeaux, Bergerac) were both won by Tim MERLIER (SOUDAL QUICK-STEP) on consecutive days. Stage 7 had an interesting detail: ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH’s lead-out train packed up early, handing the win to MERLIER.

Stage 9 (Malemort→Ussel) was shortened by 30 kilometers due to a red heat warning, with temperatures around 38 degrees that day. Mathieu VAN DER POEL attacked on the Mont Bressou climb, breaking clear from a group of four to take the win. This was his first stage victory of the edition.

Stage 10 (Aurillac→Le Lioran, 165.6 km, July 14, France’s National Day) was won by POGAČAR, his third stage win of the edition.

Stage 11 (Vichy→Nevers) was won by Norway’s Søren WÆRENSKJOLD.

Stage 12 (Nevers Magny-Cours circuit→Chalon-sur-Saône) was won by MERLIER, his third stage win of the edition, with a massive crash behind the sprint finish.

Stage 13 (Dole→Belfort, 205.8 km, the longest stage of the edition) was won by Switzerland’s Mauro SCHMID (TEAM JAYCO ALULA) from a breakaway, with the route including the Category 1 Ballon d’Alsace. Tom PIDCOCK moved up to 4th overall on this stage.

The heatwave was the most important environmental variable of this edition. The organizers relaxed feeding rules on multiple stages (allowing water hand-ups outside the normal feed zones), and the race medical team raised its alert level. Extreme heat affects the race in more ways than just “being uncomfortable”—it changes tactics (no one wants to lead the chase in high temperatures), increases dehydration and heatstroke risk, and significantly raises the chance of crashes (due to impaired judgment).

18. Full Edition Review (3): Stage 15, The Day Everything Changed

Stage 14 (Mulhouse→Le Markstein, 155.3 km) was won by POGAČAR after attacking on the Col du Haag, extending his lead to about 4 minutes 30 seconds.

Stage 15 (Champagnole→Plateau de Solaison, 183.9 km) was the true watershed of this Tour.

The stage finished on the Plateau de Solaison—the first time in Tour history the race had visited this mountain. And approximately 24 kilometers from the finish, Jonas VINGEGAARD crashed, suffering a fractured collarbone requiring surgery, and was immediately taken away by ambulance, abandoning the race.

The two-time Tour champion (2022, 2023), the biggest pre-race challenger, and the opening day’s yellow jersey holder left the race at a moment no one expected. On the same day, MERLIER, who had already won three stages this edition, also abandoned.

The stage was won by Remco EVENEPOEL, his first stage win of the edition. POGAČAR’s lead grew to 5 minutes.

VINGEGAARD’s abandonment had a dual significance for this Tour: on one hand, it erased the last trace of GC suspense; on the other, it changed the entire narrative focus of the race—from “a duel between two titans” to “one dominant force plus everyone else fighting for everything else.”

Stage 16 (Évian-les-Bains→Thonon-les-Bains, 26.1 km individual time trial) was won by EVENEPOEL, his second stage win of the edition. He took 28 seconds back from POGAČAR, reducing the gap to 4 minutes 32 seconds. As the world time trial champion three years running from 2023 to 2025, this was his home turf, and the 28-second gain also demonstrated that POGAČAR’s time trialing ability is now close to that of the top specialists.

Stage 17 (Chambéry→Vallon, 174.7 km) was won by Jasper PHILIPSEN, the second-to-last sprint opportunity of the edition.

Stage 18 (Vallon→Orcières-Merlette, 185.2 km) was won by Richard CARAPAZ at the summit finish, who also took the stage’s most combative rider award.

19. Full Edition Review (4): The Alpine Triple-Header Finale

Stage 19 (Gap→Alpe d’Huez, 127.9 km): POGAČAR took the stage win, breaking PANTANI’s thirty-one-year-old Alpe d’Huez record with 35 minutes 26 seconds. His overall lead extended to 7 minutes 11 seconds.

Stage 20 (Le Bourg-d’Oisans→Alpe d’Huez, 170.9 km, approximately 5,425 meters of climbing): The Queen Stage. CARAPAZ took the stage win and mathematically secured the polka dot jersey. EVENEPOEL finished 2nd, taking 45 seconds back from POGAČAR (including sprint bonus seconds), reducing the overall gap to 6 minutes 26 seconds.

Stage 21 (Paris, 88.7 km): VAN DER POEL took the win, and POGAČAR completed his fifth title.

Complete list of stage winners for this edition:

Stage	Route	Winner
1	Barcelona (Team Time Trial)	Visma–Lease a Bike
2	Tarragona→Barcelona	Isaac DEL TORO
3	Granollers→Les Angles	Tadej POGAČAR
4	Carcassonne→Foix	Mads PEDERSEN
5	Lannemezan→Pau	Olav KOOIJ
6	Pau→Gavarnie-Gèdre	Tadej POGAČAR
7	Agethmo→Bordeaux	Tim MERLIER
8	Périgueux→Bergerac	Tim MERLIER
9	Malemort→Ussel	Mathieu VAN DER POEL
10	Aurillac→Le Lioran	Tadej POGAČAR
11	Vichy→Nevers	Søren WÆRENSKJOLD
12	Nevers→Chalon-sur-Saône	Tim MERLIER
13	Dole→Belfort	Mauro SCHMID
14	Mulhouse→Le Markstein	Tadej POGAČAR
15	Champagnole→Plateau de Solaison	Remco EVENEPOEL
16	Évian→Thonon (Individual Time Trial)	Remco EVENEPOEL
17	Chambéry→Vallon	Jasper PHILIPSEN
18	Vallon→Orcières-Merlette	Richard CARAPAZ
19	Gap→Alpe d’Huez	Tadej POGAČAR
20	Le Bourg-d’Oisans→Alpe d’Huez	Richard CARAPAZ
21	Paris Champs-Élysées	Mathieu VAN DER POEL

20. Summary of the Jersey Contests

Yellow Jersey: VINGEGAARD (Stages 1-2) → POGAČAR (Stage 3) → TRÆEN (Stages 4-5) → POGAČAR (Stage 6 to finish). POGAČAR wore the yellow jersey for a total of 17 days this edition.

Green Jersey: DEL TORO briefly wore it on Stage 2, then PEDERSEN took over from Stage 4 and wore it all the way to Paris. PEDERSEN is the world champion who won in the rain in Harrogate, England, in 2019, and has now won the points classification in all three Grand Tours—he is only the sixth rider in history to achieve this. After securing the green jersey, he stated it was one of his career goals, now accomplished.

Polka Dot Jersey: CARAPAZ wore it from Stage 6 to the finish, his second career Tour de France mountains classification (the first being 2024). He also took two stage wins and the most combative rider award, making him the most outstanding individual performer of this edition besides the yellow jersey.

White Jersey: DEL TORO first wore it on Stages 1-2, lost it several times in the middle section, then reclaimed it from Stage 15 and wore it to Paris. The Mexican, born in 2003, finished 3rd overall and won the white jersey in his first Tour de France. In 2025, he finished 2nd overall in the Giro d’Italia with 11 days in pink, and collected 18 victories that same year.

Team Classification: LIDL-TREK. This team had green jersey winner PEDERSEN, 6th overall SKJELMOSE, and 7th overall AYUSO—the deepest roster in the race.

Most Combative Rider: CARAPAZ.

21. Evaluating the 2026 Route Design: A “Crescendo” Experiment

When announcing the 2026 route, the organizers used the word “crescendo” to describe the overall structure. Looking back, this description was quite accurate and worth evaluating.

Several characteristics of the design:

• Barcelona start + team time trial opener. This was the first time since 1971 that the Tour opened with a team time trial, creating time gaps from day one and making the yellow jersey meaningful from the very first day.
• Five summit finishes, including the return of Alpe d’Huez and the first-ever visit to the Plateau de Solaison.
• No cobblestone (pavé) or gravel sections at all. This was a very rare decision for the modern Tour—in recent editions, organizers loved using cobbles and gravel to create chaos, but 2026 abandoned this entirely, putting all the difficulty into the mountains.
• A heavily back-loaded final week. From Stages 15 to 21, within seven days there was one summit finish, one individual time trial, and three mountain stages, including two consecutive days finishing at Alpe d’Huez.

Did this design succeed? Partially.

The “crescendo” structure did indeed save the best for last—Stages 18 through 21 all had something to offer on four consecutive days, and the double Alpe d’Huez of Stages 19 and 20 was the biggest talking point of the edition. But on the other hand, Stage 6’s Tourmalet already defined the entire GC, and the following fifteen days all played out within the framework of “by how much.” No matter how clever a route design is, it cannot counter one rider’s absolute superiority.

The decision to abandon cobbles and gravel is also worth discussing. These elements have indeed created plenty of drama in the past, but they also brought high crash rates and criticism that “randomness decides the GC.” The 2026 choice was a return to tradition: let the mountains decide everything. From the results, this decision made the race “cleaner,” but also removed several variables that could have created upsets.

22. Three Keywords for This Edition of the Tour

Keyword One: Heat. Stage 4 approached 40 degrees, Stage 9 was shortened by 30 kilometers due to a red heat warning, Stage 3 had wildfires affecting spectators, and Stage 21 was shortened by 43.8 kilometers due to police redeployment caused by wildfires. Climate change is materially altering how the Tour operates—route adjustments, relaxed feeding rules, earlier start times—these measures once considered exceptional are becoming the norm.

Keyword Two: Shattered. Two major figures abandoned this edition due to crashes: TRÆEN, who took the yellow jersey on Stage 4 (crashing on a descent on Stage 6, suffering a concussion and multiple rib fractures), and VINGEGAARD on Stage 15 (fractured collarbone requiring surgery). Losing both the yellow jersey holder and the biggest challenger in a single Tour is a cruel thing.

Keyword Three: One. The final narrative of this edition had only one protagonist. POGAČAR took 5 stage wins, 17 days in yellow, two climbing records, and a fifth overall title. When one person dominates a sport to this degree, people’s reactions typically split into two camps—one finds it boring, the other feels they are witnessing history. Both feelings are legitimate.

23. A Taiwanese Cyclist’s Perspective: What Can Be Learned from This Tour

First, Montmartre teaches us the value of “short, steep climbs.”

The Côte de la Butte Montmartre is only 1 kilometer at 6.5%. By Taiwanese standards, climbs like this are everywhere—Datun Mountain, Wuzhi Mountain, the industrial roads of Wanli, Baiguo Mountain in Changhua, Dapingding in Kaohsiung—any of them can match it. But the Tour put it in the final stage and completely changed the nature of the race.

This has direct implications for racing and training in Taiwan: if you want to create splits in a local criterium or group ride, finding a 1-kilometer climb at 6% to 8% and attacking it repeatedly is far more effective than finding a 20-kilometer long climb. Short, steep climbs test anaerobic capacity and recovery speed, which is exactly the weakest link for most amateur riders. Want to train for it? Do 3 to 5 sets of “1 kilometer full-effort climb + 5 minutes recovery,” and you’ll quickly understand why pure sprinters get filtered out at Montmartre.

Second, Alpe d’Huez teaches us the importance of pacing discipline.

The Stage 19 record was 35 minutes 26 seconds, with a VAM of approximately 1,896 m/h. By comparison, a strong amateur’s VAM on a long climb is roughly 900 to 1,100 m/h. This numerical difference isn’t meant to make you feel inferior, but to provide an objective self-assessment tool: next time you ride Wuling, calculate your VAM using “meters climbed ÷ time taken (hours),” and you’ll have a clearer picture of your level and progress than just looking at average speed.

Third, the Queen Stage teaches us the truth about high altitude.

The Tour’s highest point, the Galibier, is 2,642 meters, while Wuling is 3,275 meters. Taiwanese cyclists on their signature route actually face higher oxygen deprivation than Tour riders. Many people’s collapse in the final kilometers of Wuling is misunderstood as “insufficient fitness,” when it’s actually the reduced oxygen intake caused by high altitude. The correct approach is: once above 2,500 meters, proactively lower your target power by 10% to 15%, increase cadence, and reduce the muscular load of each pedal stroke.

Fourth, Stage 21 teaches us the technical content of “group riding.”

88.7 kilometers, average speed 44.8 km/h, three climbs, countless corners—this kind of stage tests positioning sense, drafting efficiency, cornering technique, and judgment, not just pure fitness. The same applies to Taiwanese group rides and criteriums. Energy saved in the group is always worth more than energy you’ve trained to produce. Learning to hold your position, learning to move up at the right moment, learning not to brake before corners—the return on investment for these skills is far higher than adding 20 W to your FTP.

Fifth, the most practical lesson from this Tour: finishing itself is an achievement.

The 2026 Tour had 21 stages, 3,245 kilometers, countless crossings of passes above 2,000 meters, two route changes due to heat or fire, and two major riders forced out by injury. Every single person who finished in Paris endured twenty-one days of extreme attrition.

For Taiwanese cyclists, the Round-Island, the Twin Towers, and Wuling are essentially smaller versions of the same thing: they don’t test your single-day maximum output, but your ability to keep making correct decisions under accumulating fatigue.

24. Conclusion: Sunset on the Champs-Élysées

Evening, July 26, 2026, on the Champs-Élysées.

Mathieu VAN DER POEL raised his arms—this was his 4th career Tour de France stage win, and another achievement in his cycling career that defies categorization. The Dutchman has now won 8 Monument classics, 8 cyclo-cross World Championships, 1 road World Championship, and 1 gravel World Championship, making him the only male rider in history to be world champion in three different disciplines. And now, he has also won on the Champs-Élysées.

A few minutes later, Tadej POGAČAR stood on the top step of the podium, putting on his fifth yellow jersey. Twenty-seven years old, five Tours, tying ANQUETIL, MERCKX, HINAULT, and INDURÁIN.

Beside him, Remco EVENEPOEL stood on the second step—the Belgian, who transferred to a new team in 2026, proved with two stage wins and a second place overall that he remains one of the strongest all-round riders of his generation. On the third step was Isaac DEL TORO, twenty-three years old, Mexican, also wearing the white jersey.

Mads PEDERSEN wore the green jersey. Richard CARAPAZ wore the polka dot jersey, with the most combative rider trophy in hand.

And behind them was a race of twenty-one days, 3,245 kilometers, from Barcelona to Paris, crossing the Pyrenees and the Alps, enduring 40-degree heat and wildfires.

It will all happen again next year. That’s the Tour de France.

A final word for Taiwanese cyclists: This Tour left many images—the solo flight at Tourmalet, the ambulance at Plateau de Solaison, the clock at Alpe d’Huez, the narrow roads of Sallanches, the cobbles of Montmartre. But if you can only remember one thing, perhaps it’s this: in a race where the outcome was already decided, there were still people who chose to pedal with everything they had, people who chose to take one last gamble on the final day, people who chose to burn themselves out for their teammates. The value of competitive sport has never resided only in the champion’s box. The next time you ride up Wuling, or get dropped in a weekend group ride, you can think about that.

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