The attackers looked set to battle for another stage win on Friday, stage 19 of the Tour de France 2026, but, once again, there was no resisting Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates XRG) when the Maillot Jaune holder set off on the mythical slopes of Alpe d’Huez. The Slovenian star attacked his GC rivals 13 kilometres from the summit and caught up to Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) and Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) inside the last 3 kilometres. He distanced them as he entered the final kilometre, eventually claiming his fifth victory in this edition, his 26th since his debut in the race in 2020. He passes André Leducq (25 stage wins) and moves closer to Mark Cavendish (35), Eddy Merckx (34) and Bernard Hinault (28). Alpe d’Huez will also host stage 20’s finish on the eve of Sunday’s Paris grand finale.
Alpe d’Huez, first leg! After Orcières-Merlette, the peloton head to another iconic venue: the first mountaintop finish in the history of the Tour, and the one that has featured most often! The 32nd finish at Alpe d’Huez will be reached after the legendary 13.8 km ascent, with its 21 hairpins and its average gradient of 8.1%.
Paret-Peintre v Carapaz: the battle continues
The uphill start to Col Bayard (4.7 km at 7.2%) sees the peloton split, and a leading group of 42 riders form. It includes 11 stage winners: Richard Carapaz, alongside his teammates Ben Healy, Sean Quinn andAlex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost), Thymen Arensman (Netcompany Ineos), Adam Yates (UAE Emirates XRG), Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike), Michael Matthews, Ben O’Connor (Jayco AlUla), Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), the green jersey wearer Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and the polka-dot jersey wearer Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step). Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) is the highest-placed rider in the general classification (7th, +12’50’’).
The battle for the polka-dot jersey is the highlight of the first two climbs to the Col Bayard (km 4.8) and the Col du Noyer (km 25.2). Paret-Peintre wins the uphill sprint ahead of Carapaz on both occasions. The Frenchman thus takes the lead in the mountains classification.
The breakaway explodes
The Maillot Jaune peloton crosses the Col du Noyer four minutes behind the breakaway riders. Tadej Pogacar’s UAE Emirates XRG and Remco Evenepoel’s Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe then begin to push the pace to close the gap. But the leaders at the front also count on strong teammates ready to empty their tank to give them a shot at victory at Alpe d’Huez.
The gap reaches a maximum of 4’25’’ at the intermediate sprint (Le Périer, km 89.4), where Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) takes full points. His lead against Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) for the green jersey is up to 57 points.
The breakaway explodes on the following ascent to Col d'Ornon (cat 2, summit at km . Paret-Peintre is done. Carapaz crests the ascent in the lead. Then Bruno Armirail (Visma-Lease a Bike) sets a strong pace all the way to the bottom of Alpe d’Huez. The attackers begin the ascent with a lead of 3’25’’.
Pogacar flies to the 26th
Richard Carapaz, Sepp Kuss and Lenny Martinez rapidly emerge as the strongest climbers at the front. Behind them, Tadej Pogacar distances his rivals 13 kilometres from the summit. He rapidly catches up to Adam Yates, who helps him for a few hectometres before the Slovenian sets off alone.
At the front, Carapaz attacks again and again. Martinez always reacts and Kuss gets back. The trio fail to collaborate. As Pogacar closes in on them, Carapaz unleashes his power 3 kilometres from the summit. He’s caught a kilometre later by Pogacar and Martinez. The Slovenian drops them just inside the final kilometre and powers to his 26th Tour stage win, the first at Alpe d’Huez.
Behind him, Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) gains a handful of seconds on Isaac del Toro (UAE Emirates XRG) and a few more on Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) on the eve of another battle to Alpe d’Huez.
