Tadej Pogacar won his career 25th Tour de France stage — and fourth in 2026 — as he captured the treacherous Stage 14 and increased his overall lead on Saturday.
The 155-kilometer route from Mulhouse to Le Markstein features three difficult Category 1 climbs, and Pogacar patiently stayed with the stage leaders right in front of him until they dropped back before beginning his final assault on the hill with about 1.6 kilometers left.
Pogacar needed four hours to win the stage, passing rival Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark, a two-time Tour de France champion who is second in the overall standings. Pogacar, of Slovenia, now leads by 4 1/2 minutes over Vingegaard.
“It’s a really perfect day,” Pogacar said. “We marked this stage since the beginning. It’s an incredible area for cycling and I already had great memories from here.”
He is on a quest for his fifth Tour de France title, which would tie him for the most all-time. The record currently is shared by Eddy Merckx of Belgium, Miguel Indurain of Spain, and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault.
Paul Seixas of France finished third in Stage 14 and stands fourth in the overall standings, sandwiched between Remco Evenepoel of Belgium and Juan Ayuso of Spain.
Sunday’s Stage 15 is another exhausting test for the cyclists. The steep mountain route, rated the most difficult category, is 183.9 kilometers from Champagnole to Plateau de Solaison.
“(Sunday) is a bit more difficult,” Pogacar said. “It will be a hard day for us but we will be ready to fight and see what happens.”
Monday is a day of rest before the final six days of the Tour de France.
–Field Level Media
