Tadej Pogacar reigns in Paris after winning Tour de France for fourth time
The 26-year-old, who won the race in 2020, 2021 and 2024, comfortably beat his closest rival, Jonas Vingegaard, by almost four and half minutes, in what both riders acknowledged was the hardest edition of the race they have competed in. Germany's Florian Lipowitz, making his Tour debut, finished third, while Scotland's Oscar Onley placed fourth overall.
Wout van Aert won stage 21 after attacking and taking the lead from Pogacar with 6km to go. The stage was neutralised with 50km left, however, owing to the hazardous conditions, with heavy rain soaking the cobbles of Montmartre and making for a treacherous finish.
Pogacar, who won stages in Rouen, Mûr-de-Bretagne, Hautacam and Peyragudes, has now fully established himself as the most accomplished rider of his generation, having also won the 2024 Giro d'Italia, the 2024 World Road Race championships, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Strade Bianche, the Tour of Flanders and multiple other stage races including Paris-Nice, Criterium du Dauphiné and the Tour of Catalunya.
Pogacar has won 21 stages in the Tour since winning the race on his debut in 2020. Asked if Pogacar's domination was credible, Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour, said: 'Cycling has to live with the doubts, with suspicion, given the history of the sport.
'Pogacar was third in the Vuelta a España at just 20 and, when he won in 2020, he was the youngest winner of the Tour since 1904. He's a champion who wins from February to October, a champion who can win the Classics, challenge Mathieu van der Poel in Paris-Roubaix and dominate in the Pyrenean stages of the Tour, against Jonas Vingegaard. Yes, we hoped for more of a duel, but it wasn't to be.'
Vingegaard and Pogacar may go head to head again in this year's Vuelta (running from 23 August to 14 September) if the Slovenian opts to line up against the Dane, who has already confirmed his participation. 'It is going to be tough to decide,' Pogacar said. 'Every year I do the Tour and and I would like to do the Vuelta one day also. We will decide a couple of days after the Tour, when everything is calm and heads are clear.'
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