Pogacar attacks from 12K out to win Alpe d'Huez stage, extends Tour lead to 7:11
Tadej Pogacar launched a solo attack from 12 kilometers out on stage 19 of the 2026 Tour de France at Alpe d'Huez, catching and passing Richard Carapaz and Lenny Martinez in the final 1.5 kilometers to win the stage. His victory extends his overall lead to 7 minutes 11 seconds over second-place Remco Evenepoel with two stages remaining.
Tadej Pogacar won stage 19 of the 2026 Tour de France on Thursday at Alpe d'Huez, launching a solo attack from the foot of the legendary climb when he was more than three minutes behind with 12 kilometers remaining. According to ESPN, Pogacar caught Richard Carapaz and Lenny Martinez with 1.5 kilometers left and surged ahead to claim the stage victory.
Lenny Martinez finished six seconds behind Pogacar, per ESPN. Richard Carapaz, who won stage 18, finished nine seconds behind Pogacar on stage 19. Sepp Kuss crossed the line 1 minute, 14 seconds down. According to ESPN's reporting, this was Pogacar's fifth stage win of the 2026 Tour and his 26th stage victory overall in the race.
Pogacar's dominant performance in the penultimate mountain stage extended his overall lead to 7 minutes, 11 seconds over second-place Remco Evenepoel with two stages remaining, per ESPN. Pogacar is a four-time Tour champion, and a fifth title would place him in an elite historical cohort: Eddy Merckx, Miguel Indurain, Jacques Anquetil, and Bernard Hinault, according to ESPN.
Pogacar rode without a teammate for the final section of the stage, according to ESPN's reporting. The race concludes on Sunday on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Pogacar won stage 19 at Alpe d'Huez by attacking from more than three minutes down with 12 kilometers remaining, extending his overall lead to 7:11 over Evenepoel with two stages left.
Pogacar heads into the final mountain and time-trial stages with a commanding margin that approaches double digits in minutes. Watch whether Evenepoel or another contender can make time back on the final two stages, though Pogacar's lead has rarely been contested in the Tour's closing acts.
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