Tadej Pogacar seals fourth Tour de France crown as Wout van Aert wins stage 21 with stunning solo attack
Pogacar looked keen to take what could prove to be a unique opportunity to win in yellow in Paris as the introduction of three ascents of the climb to Montmartre reshaped the usual final day procession, but Van Aert broke clear on the last time up to take the glory.
Although the general classification times had been neutralised in the soggy conditions, Pogacar still had to finish to secure his title yet was willing to risk it all on the greasy cobbles in pursuit of a fifth stage win of this Tour.
The Slovenian attacked each time up the narrow climb to whittle down a leading group to just a handful of riders, but had no response when Van Aert made his move 400 metres from the summit of the final ascent, winning solo by 19 seconds from Davide Ballerini.
'It was a special day out,' said Van Aert, who took his 10th career stage win at the Tour and first since 2022. 'It is really special to win here on the Champs-Elysees once again and on the first occasion we climbed to Montmartre.
'The rain made it quite sketchy but I managed to stay upright. I had the full support of my team and I really have to thank them, to keep believing in me over and over again...
'Going into the last climb, to leave it all out there was our plan and it worked.'
Pogacar sat up to safely bring home the yellow jersey and beat his rival Jonas Vingegaard by a final margin of four minutes and 24 seconds, moving level with Chris Froome on four titles, one shy of the record jointly held by Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain and Jacques Anquetil.
'I'm just speechless to win a fourth Tour de France, six years in a row on the podium," the 26-year-old Pogacar said. 'This one feels especially amazing and I'm super proud I can wear this yellow jersey.
'I found myself in the front even though I didn't really have the energy to motivate myself to race today. I was really happy they neutralised the times in the GC, then it was more relaxed to race. I found myself in the front but hats off to Wout, he was incredibly strong.'
Pogacar also paid tribute to Vingegaard, his closest challenger, as the pair shared the top two spots on the podium for the fifth Tour in succession. 'We raised the level of each other much higher, and we push each other to limit to try to beat each other. Battling against Jonas was a tough experience but I must say to him, respect and a big, big congratulations for his fight and incredible race.'
German Florian Lipowitz finished third overall, some 11 minutes down on Pogacar and one minute 12 seconds ahead of 22-year-old Scot Oscar Onley who has enjoyed a breakout Tour.
On the 50th anniversary of the first Champs-Elysees finish, the Tour returned to the French capital after last year's enforced absence due to the Olympics. Race organisers had been inspired by those Games to add the climb to this day and were rewarded with a dramatic finish.
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Telegraph
2 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Dave Brailsford future in doubt as doping questions overshadow Ineos Grenadiers' Tour
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Daily Mail
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Next stop global fame for the unassuming Scot who announced his arrival in this year's Tour de France
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The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Tour de France 2025 final standings: Tadej Pogacar crowned champion
Even with the title all but secure, Pogacar still mounted a spirited challenge in the final stage as a heavy rain drenched competitors and spectators alike for the finish. A crowd of several hundred thousand lined the streets of Paris despite a late thundershower to watch the conclusion of the 112th Tour. Pogacar, 26, began the final stage four minutes and 24 seconds ahead of two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard. Threatening weather conditions in Paris led race officials to freeze riders' times with 50 kilomters to go. Vingegaard finished as the runner-up, with Florian Lipowitz completing the podium. USA TODAY Sports has a complete recap of Stage 21 as the race concluded in Paris. Final standings (after Stage 21) Tadej Pogacar, Slovenia Jonas Vingegaard, Denmark Florian Lipowitz, Germany Oscar Onley, Great Britain Felix Gall, Austria Find the latest Tour de France standings and results at the official Tour de France website. Where to watch the Tour de France: TV channel, streaming Sunday Encore coverage of the of the final stage of this year's Tour de France will be broadcast on NBC at 2 p.m. ET. All times Eastern Stage 21: Sunday, July 27 2 p.m. (encore): NBC Watch the 2025 Tour de France with Peacock Here are the final results of the 132.3-kilometer course from Mantes-La-Ville to Paris Champs-Elysees on Sunday, July 27. (with position, rider, team, time): Wout van Aert, Team Visma | Lease A Bike (3:07:30) Davide Ballerini, XDS Astana Team (19 seconds behind) Matej Mohoric, Bahrain Victorious (19 seconds) Tadej Pogacar, UAE Team Emirates XRG (19 seconds) Matteo Jorgenson, eam Visma | Lease A Bike (26 seconds) M Trentin, Tudor Pro Cycling Team (38 seconds) Arnaud De Lie, Lotto (1 minute, 14 seconds) Kevin Vauquelin, Arkea B&B Hotels (1 minute, 14 seconds) Mike Teunissen, XDS Astana Team (1 minute, 14 seconds) Dylan Teuns, Cofidis (1 minute, 14 seconds) Not content to cruise to the overall championship by going through the motions in the final stage, Pogacar is making a strong push for one final victory. He is among the lead pack of six riders as they make their rounds up Butte Montmartre. With the rain intesifying and the cobblestones as slippery as ever, Pogacar has added an extra layer of excitement to Stage 21. Belgium's Wout van Aert eventually claimed the stage win with a late breakaway. The competitive portion of Stage 21 has begun as cyclists make their second pass on the circuit through the streets of downtown Paris and along the Seine River. Riders will wind their way past landmarks such as the Arc de Triomphe, the Louve and the Eiffel Tower. Each lap is approximately six kilometers. Jonathan Milan of Italy won the intermediate sprint section to clinch the green jersey for this year's Tour. From there, they will make three climbs up the Butte Montmartre before returning to the Champs-Elysees and the finish line. Get the champagne ready! The final stage of this year's Tour de France will not have an all-out sprint to the finish. According to The Guardian, race organizers have declared that times will be frozen with 50 kilometers to go due to hazardous road conditions. That means all race leader Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia has to do is cross the finish line at the Champs-Elysees to claim his fourth Tour title. But plenty of racing still remains. As the skies darken, Tour de France racers could find some slippery conditions as they hit the cobblestones entering Paris. Most riders do have rain gear tucked into the back of their jerseys so they can stay dry, but they'll have to change on the fly. Race organizers also say they could alter the finish to prevent any possibility of crashes impacting the final standings. Passing by the Palace of Versailles, the riders are almost at the start of the second climb of the stage at Cote du Pave des Gardes. Nearly 10 kilometers in, the riders remain in processional mode, heading toward the first climbing run at the Cote de Bazemont. The rain is picking up as the peloton proceeds at a leisurely pace. The elements can play havoc with the cyclists at any time, but if there's any unusual weather over the final stage of the Tour de France, things could change quickly. Although the skies are sunny in Paris as Stage 21 is set to begin, there's some rain expected along the route from Mantes-La-Ville. The forecast along the route is for cloudy skies with rain likely and temperatures in the low 70s Fahrenheit. If race leader Tadej Pogacar can weather the conditions successfully and avoid any major disaster, expect to see him sipping champagne as he rides down the Champs-Elysees this evening. Tadej Pogacar, 26, has emerged in recent years as the biggest force in men's cycling. Per Rouleur, Pogacar, a Ljubljana, Slovenia native, took up the sport at 9 years old, idolizing greats like Tour de France winners Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck. Pogacar started out with the Rog-Ljubljana cycling club, impressing in youth events -- including the 2018 Tour de l'Avenir, a race for cyclists between the ages of 17-22 that takes place on much of the same course as the Tour de France -- before moving on to his current team, UAE Team Emirates XRG in 2019. Overall, Pogacar has won 14 stage races, 24 one-day races and has been the top-ranked cyclist in the UCI World Rankings for four consecutive years. He also won the bronze medal in the men's road race at the Tokyo Summer Olympics. -- Jason Anderson USA TODAY Sports' Jason Anderson has more on star Tadej Pogacar. Stage 21 of the 2025 Tour de France is a 132.3-kilometer course on mostly flat terrain from Mantes-La-Ville to Paris Champs-Elysees on Sunday, July 27. Tour de France 2025 standings after Stage 20 Tadej Pogacar, Slovenia: 73 hours, 54 minutes, 59 seconds Jonas Vingegaard, Denmark: 73:59.23 (4 minutes, 24 seconds behind) Florian Lipowitz, Germany: 74:07.11 (12 minutes, 12 seconds) Oscar Onley, Great Britain: 74:07.11 (12 minutes, 12 seconds) Felix Gall, Austria: 74:12.11 (17 minutes, 12 seconds) Tobias Johannessen, Norway: 74:15.13 (20 minutes, 14 seconds) Kevin Vauquelin, France: 74:17.34 (22 minutes, 35 seconds) Primoz Roglic, Slovenia: 74:20.29 (25 minutes, 30 seconds) Ben Healy, Ireland: 74:23.01 (28 minutes, 2 seconds) Jordan Jegat, France: 74:27.41 (32 minutes, 42 seconds) Tour de France odds Odds via BetMGM as of Saturday, July 26. Winner Tadej Pogacar (-400) Jonas Vingegaard (+400) Remco Evenepoel (+1600) Joao Almeida (+1800) Florian Lipowitz (+2000) Here are the final results of the 184.2-kilometer course on hilly terrain from Nantua to Pantarlier at the 2025 Tour de France, Saturday, July 26 (with position, rider, team, time): Kaden Groves, ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK (4:06.09) Frank Van Den Broek, TEAM PICNIC POSTNL (04: 07.03) Pascal Eenkhoorn, SOUDAL QUICK-STEP (04:07.08) Simone Velasco, XDS ASTANA TEAM (04:07.13) Romain Gregoire, GROUPAMA-FDJ (04:07.13) Jake Stewart, ISRAEL - PREMIER TECH (04:07.13) Jordan Jegat, TOTALENERGIES (04:07.13) Tim Wellens, UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG (04:07.13) Matteo Jorgenson, TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE (04:07.13) Harrison Sweeny, EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST (04:07.13) Yellow (overall race leader): Tadej Pogacar, Slovenia Tadej Pogacar, Slovenia Green (points): Jonathan Milan, Italy Jonathan Milan, Italy Polka dot (mountains): Tadej Pogacar, Slovenia Tadej Pogacar, Slovenia White (young rider): Florian Lipowitz, Germany
