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Defending champion Tadej Pogacar is on the verge of winning a record-equalling fifth Tour de France after taking a storming victory on stage 19 to Alpe d’Huez.<\/b><\/p>\n
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider pulled more than three minutes back on a breakaway group on the hors category final climb up to the famous ski resort, which was flanked by thousands of spectators from all around the world. <\/p>\n
Pogacar, 27, is aiming to become the joint-most successful rider in the Tour’s history with five wins, alongside Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.<\/p>\n
Pogacar has a dominant lead over Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe of seven minutes 11 seconds, despite the Belgian’s improved climbing form this year.<\/p>\n
Pogacar’s Mexican team-mate Isaac del Toro remains third and in the white young riders’ classification leader’s jersey – nine minutes 42 seconds down.<\/p>\n
The peloton will take on Alpe d’Huez once again on Saturday for the three-week race’s mountainous ‘queen’ stage, which includes an extra 2,000 metres of climbing.<\/p>\n
“It was very cool to win up here – it was a crazy atmosphere all climb and I’m thankful for the team that I it could pull it off,” said Pogacar.<\/p>\n
“When I heard some of the guys [were] dropped when [team-mate] Felix [Grosschartner] set a super good pace at the beginning of the climb, I was already going full gas, as the breakaway was so strong. Every kilometre of Alpe d’Huez I had good legs and not many could follow [me].” <\/p>\n
Pogacar crossed the line six seconds ahead of France’s Lenny Martinez of Bahrain-Victorious, who thumped his handlebars severnal times in frustration as he crossed the line.<\/p>\n
Ecuador’s in-form rider Richard Carapaz of EF Education-Easypost, who won Thursday’s stage to Ocieres Merlette,<\/a> finished a further three seconds behind in third.<\/p>\n A 40-plus strong breakaway had established a lead over the peloton and yellow-jersey wearer Pogacar by several minutes mid-stage, but the main pack began to slowly reel them in.<\/p>\n It was Martinez, the USA’s Sepp Kuss of Visma-Lease a Bike and a typically animated Carapaz who eventually emerged as the three seemingly set to battle for victory as they began Alpe d’Huez’s legendary twisting ribbons of tarmac.<\/p>\n But Pogacar had other ideas and set a record time on the final climb of 35 minutes 27 seconds – beating the time set by Italy’s legendary Marco Pantani in 1997. <\/p>\n Read more: Why are cycling’s anti-doping tests being carried out at night?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n