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Pogacar Wins Alpe d’Huez, Sets Record, Extends Lead

7/25/2026

42 10 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) won Stage 19 on Alpe d’Huez, finishing six seconds ahead of Lenny Martinez.
He set a new climb record of 35 minutes 27 seconds, beating Marco Pantani’s 1997 time by more than a minute.
Pogacar leads the Tour by 7 minutes 11 seconds over Remco Evenepoel.
Isaac del Toro remains third overall, nine minutes 42 seconds behind Pogacar, and wears the white jersey.

History

Historical Context

After Carrera Jeans withdrew sponsorship in 1996, a new Italian squad formed around Marco Pantani, who set the Tour’s Alpe d’Huez benchmark with a 36 min 50 sec climb in 1995 and a 36 min 55 sec effort in 1997. His legendary ascent, recorded by the Amaury Sport Organisation, remains a reference point for modern contenders such as Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar.

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Story summary

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) won Stage 19 on Alpe d’Huez, finishing six seconds ahead of Lenny Martinez.
He set a new climb record of 35 minutes 27 seconds, beating Marco Pantani’s 1997 time by more than a minute.
Pogacar leads the Tour by 7 minutes 11 seconds over Remco Evenepoel.
Isaac del Toro remains third overall, nine minutes 42 seconds behind Pogacar, and wears the white jersey.

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