The final stage of the world’s most prestigious cycling race took place on Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Paris, France, bringing to an end the 21-stage competition.
Stage 21 started later than scheduled due to wildfires affecting parts of France. Some sections of the route were shortened to allow the race to finish earlier, as many security personnel assigned to the event had been redeployed to assist with firefighting efforts.
Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin–Premier Tech won the final stage, completing the 40-kilometer route in 1 hour, 58 minutes and 49 seconds.
Pogačar, riding for UAE Team Emirates XRG, retained the yellow jersey to secure the overall victory, finishing the entire race in 73 hours, 56 minutes and 26 seconds.
The Slovenian finished five minutes ahead of Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, who placed second overall. The two riders also battled for glory on the streets of Kigali during the 2025 UCI Road World Championships held in Rwanda.
With victories in 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025, and 2026, Pogačar becomes only the fifth cyclist in history to win the Tour de France five times, joining legendary champions Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Induráin.
