Mathieu van der Poel holds on to win 'greatest ever finale' to Tour de France as Tadej Pogacar seals historic fifth title

Tour de France

Stage 21 | Flat | Men | 26.07.2026

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WHAT A DAY IT WAS IN PARIS

Highlights: Astonishing finale sees Van der Poel victorious as Pogacar secures fifth Tour

Video credit: TNT Sports

20:30

WATCH: POGACAR ACCEPTS ACCLAIM AS HE MOUNTS PODIUM TO CELEBRATE FIFTH TOUR CROWN

Watch: Pogacar accepts acclaim as he mounts podium to celebrate FIFTH Tour crown

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20:26

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20:22

VAN DER POEL HOLDS OFF MARAUDING BUNCH TO WIN ‘BEST EVER’ CHAMPS-ELYSEES FINALE

Mathieu van der Poel realised a dream of winning on the Champs-Elysees in spectacular style, surviving a chase and beating the bunch to the line with the very last turn of his pedals. The finish, which saw Van der Poel survive after a two-rider break with Tadej Pogacar, even as the yellow jersey faded, was described by commentators Rob Hatch and Sean Kelly as ”the greatest Tour de France finale we’ve ever seen.”

Billed as a battle between the two best riders of their generation, Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel, the final stage of the 2026 Tour de France still managed to surpass the hype.

The stage, shortened by 40km and starting from the city centre circuit, opened with seven laps of the traditional circuit and featured the usual flurry of forlorn attacks. It then headed for three laps of a longer circuit featuring the Cote de la Butte de Montmartre, the 1km climb that first featured in the Olympics in 2024.

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Xabier Azparren (Pinarello Q36.5) led the first time up the hill but was overwhelmed before the top by a group of power chasers, including Mads Pedersen, Van der Poel, Pogacar and Michael Matthews. The group was too large and uncooperative to stay clear.

Second time around, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe looked to make sure Remco Evenepoel did not miss out on the move, driving the bunch through the right bend at the foot of the climb. Pogacar had Tim Wellens working for him as a launchpad and, when the Slovenian took off, he had Van der Poel right on his wheel. Evenepoel did enough to hang on as well, though Pedersen slid backwards before catching the front trio on the descent back into the centre of town.

Despite the power in the group, their second attempt to stay clear was foiled by Decathlon CMA CGM, working to set up a bunch sprint for Olav Kooij.

Third time lucky, then? Fred Wright (Pinarello Q36.5) floated to the front of the reduced bunch on the cobbled Rue Lepic, leading the Tour de France for 600m, before Pogacar and Van der Poel came charging past. This time no other riders could stay with them and a two-man pursuit began in earnest for the final 11km to the finish.

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They established a visible gap, then a measurable one, to a group of chasers. The biggest lead the pair held was 20 seconds, 7km from the line. Decathlon got on the gas again as the race reached speeds of almost 60kph when it hit the Place de la Concorde. With two kilometres remaining Pogacar and Van der Poel held below single digit seconds of a lead. NSN Cycling laid it down for the chase to the flamme rouge as Pogacar seemed to be fading.

Van der Poel could sense he had to go it alone, giving it one last heave with 500m remaining. The bunch kept coming but it was enough, as the two-time world champion sealed a second stage win by less than a bike length.

Second place went to his team-mate, Jasper Philipsen, who had been waiting in the wings, and was the first to celebrate before Van der Poel himself even knew he had won. Green jersey Pedersen finished third, with Pogacar 30th on the stage as he celebrated becoming a five-time Tour de France champion.

19:54

WATCH: 'AERIAL AND SLO-MO OF VAN DER POEL'S SENSATIONAL SPRINT TO VICTORY

Watch aerial and slo-mo of Van der Poel's sensational sprint to victory

Video credit: TNT Sports

19:51

WATCH: 'HE CAN'T MOVE!' - VAN DER POEL COLLAPSES TO THE FLOOR AFTER ASTONISHING FINALE

'He can't move!' - Van der Poel collapses to the floor after astonishing finale

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19:38

ROBBIE MCEWEN: NAME A BETTER COUPLE THAN TADEJ AND MATHIEU

"It was absolutely brilliant. Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel - name me a better couple. Without Tadej, this didn't happen, but the way they constructed their race to not just wait for the last time but set it up the time before, make everybody tired then, but they know they can go again and to hang on like this... you've got to say again unselfish by Tadej.
"He said, 'I'm going to take the final turn, I'm not going to get cagey, but Mathieu had that last acceleration with the final 10-12 pedal strikes out of the saddle... I was hurting in the same muscles watching thinking he's about to get a cramp. Every sinew and you don't get much better drama than that.

19:37

TOP TEN IN PARIS

1. Mathieu Van Der Poe 1'58'49''

2. Jasper Philipsen

3. Mads Pedersen

4. Max Kanter

5. Olav Kooij

6. Matej Mohoric

7. Rick Pluimers

8. Anthony Turgis

9. Milan Fretin

10. Clement Russo

19:30

WATCH: VAN DER POEL REFLECTS ON 'DREAM' PARIS WIN THAT CAME TRUE AFTER YEAR OF PLANNING

Van der Poel reflects on 'dream' Paris win that came true after a year of planning

Video credit: TNT Sports

19:27

MATHIEU VAN DER POEL: I JUST WENT AS HARD AS I COULD

A year I was thinking about this. When I was sick last year and I had to watch the stage on television, I was already thinking about this moment. The way it went, it's a dream. It's incredible. It was super hard, and to be up there with the best rider in the world, all my respect for Tadej. I thought we were going to get caught back, then I was just thinking about this moment.

I put my head down in the last five hundred metres. I just went as hard as I could. I was waiting until a wheel was coming. It didn't happen, didn't happen, and in the very end I see a Pirelli tire next to me and it's Jasper's. It shows we never give up. Maybe the start of our Tour was not good but I won the Champs Elysees, so pretty good. I'm super happy. I have a few races I still wanted to win in my career and this was one of them.

19:19

THERE'S A NEW MEMBER OF THE FIVE TOURS CLUB

Tadej Pogacar
Miguel Indurain
Bernard Hinault
Eddy Merckx
Jacques Anquetil

And only one of them might make it six.

19:17

WATCH: 'THAT TOPS EVERYTHING!' - VAN DER POEL WINS EPIC STAGE 21 BY MILLIMETRES

'That tops everything!' - Van der Poel wins epic Stage 21 by MILLIMETRES

Video credit: TNT Sports

Then pre-order the DVD.

19:15

WATCH: VAN DER POEL AND POGACAR DETONATE BRUTAL ATTACK TOGETHER ON MONTMARTRE

Watch: Van der Poel and Pogacar detonate brutal attack together on Montmartre

Video credit: TNT Sports

19:13

FRED WRIGHT: IF YOU DON'T TRY YOU NEVER KNOW

"I was so dead yesterday, I gave everything today. I thought coming to [the climb] the last time, if I floated to the front really well, Quentin [Hermans] put me up there really well, I'd set my own pace. Maybe I got too excited at the bottom, but when the two aliens came around me I thought okay, maybe I'll end up in a good group."

"But with that headwind it got messy, bit of a crash, I'm just happy I didn't come down. Maybe it was a bit of a TV attack, but after the day I had yesterday, to be on the front of the Tour de France again, yeah, it was nice. I think the adrenaline got me through. My hand is so sore, man. Now it's hitting me. I'm a bit disappointed, because I was floating on Bini's wheel but with the headwind I got blocked. If you don't try, you never know."

19:07

THIS GUY'S NOT TOO DISAPPOINTED

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19:03

A PHOTO FINISH FOR THE AGES

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19:02

YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO WATCH THAT ONE AGAIN AND AGAIN

"Was that the greatest finale we've ever seen?" asks Rob Hatch? "Yes, that is the best I've ever seen, and the best I've ever experienced," replies Sean Kelly, a man who knows a thing or two about Tours de France finishes.

18:58

"THAT TOPS AMSTEL. THAT TOPS EVERYTHING"

"A masterpiece from one of the most gifted riders of his generation. We will never ever see anything like that again."

18:54

MATHIEU VAN DER POEL WINS STAGE 21!

My word, that was incredible. Pogacar faded, Van der Poel launched a rocket. Still the peloton came and it was so so close. Philipsen knew before his captain, raising his arm to the sky in celebration of his team-mate.

18:53

FLAMME ROUGE: NSN CYCLING ARE LAYING IT DOWN FOR BINI

But they're into the final kilometre. All or nothing now, up the hill to the line.

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