Tadej Pogacar won stage 19 of the 2026 Tour de France on Alpe d’Huez, moving to the brink of a record-equalling fifth overall title. The defending champion produced a decisive late climb to catch the breakaway and set a new ascent record, reinforcing his dominance before the race’s final major mountain stage.

Pogacar finished six seconds ahead of France’s Lenny Martinez, with Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz three seconds further back in third. He leads Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel by seven minutes 11 seconds, while UAE Team Emirates-XRG team-mate Isaac del Toro is third, 9 minutes 42 seconds down and leading the young riders’ classification. Pogacar’s Alpe d’Huez time of 35 minutes 27 seconds beat Marco Pantani’s 1997 record, and Saturday’s queen stage includes another ascent of the climb and 2,000 additional metres of elevation gain.