Tadej Pogacar breaks Marco Pantani’s record: “I’ve surpassed a legend”

Tadej Pogacar knows no limits: the Slovenian cyclist, already the undisputed leader of the Tour de France, won the 19th stage of the Grande Boucle, crossing the finish line first at Alpe d’Huez. The Emirates team star delivered another masterpiece by dominating the queen stage of the French stage race—a 127.9-kilometer stretch from Gap to Alpe d’Huez, one of the most iconic and legendary climbs of the Tour.

The Slovenian, now just one step away from his fifth Tour de France victory, caught up with all the breakaway riders to claim his fifth stage win in this edition—his 26th career stage win in France. Pogacar also achieved the feat of breaking one of the Tour de France’s longest-standing records, that of Marco Pantani, who in 1995 reached the summit of Alpe d’Huez with a time of 36’502; the Slovenian clocked 35’29”.

“I’m happy to have beaten a legend’s time,” he said after the race. “I felt that some riders were dropping off my group; there were only a few of us left, so I decided to make my move. Today’s breakaway was very strong, but I was also having a good day and my legs felt really strong, so I told myself to give it a shot. At the summit, I found Yates, who helped me: I’m very happy about his recovery after a couple of tough stages.”

On the Tour’s final stages: “The strategy is the same: stay together and work as a team. Today was my day; I don’t know about tomorrow, but we’ll definitely make sure Del Toro can fight for the white jersey.”