For The Love Of Cycling

Five time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar looks unbeatable. In this episode, David Millar and Ned Boulting give you the definitive origins story of potentially the greatest rider of all time.
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Tour de France 2026 Stage 21: Van der Poel defeats Pogačar in epic Paris finale as the Tour comes to a close

The 2026 Tour de France concluded with a spectacular finish on the streets of Paris as Mathieu van der Poel edged out Tadej Pogačar after an unforgettable duel over the Montmartre climbs and onto the Champs-Élysées. With the yellow jersey already secured, Pogačar still refused to settle for a ceremonial ride into Paris, attacking once again and producing one final battle that perfectly summed up this year’s race.

We break down the tactical showdown between two of the sport’s biggest stars, how Van der Poel held his nerve to claim one of the most prestigious stage victories in cycling.

We also reflect on the wider story of the 2026 Tour de France as Pogačar secured a fifth overall title, putting together another remarkable three-week performance that combined outright dominance with moments of selfless teamwork, including his support of teammate Isaac Del Toro in the fight for the final podium. From breakout stars and unforgettable stages to the biggest talking points of the race, we look back on everything that made this Tour so memorable.

And with the men’s race now complete, we take a look ahead to Tour de France Femmes. We preview the riders and stages to watch, the key storylines, and what you can expect from our daily coverage over the coming week.

🎶 Music courtesy of BMG Production Music

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🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.

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Richard Carapaz produced a stunning ride to win the Tour de France’s ultimate queen stage on Alpe d’Huez, completing a brilliant final week by taking his second victory of the race and sealing the polka-dot jersey. But the Ecuadorian’s triumph came after a dramatic finale, with Sepp Kuss looking destined for a famous stage win before crashing twice on the descent into the finish and seeing his hopes disappear.

We break down a brutal day in the Alps, from the huge 5,600 metres of climbing to the battle for the breakaway, as Kuss, Carapaz, Jai Hindley and others fought for the stage victory on the final climbs.

After Kuss’ heartbreak, Carapaz seized the opportunity and powered clear to claim a memorable win on one of the Tour’s most iconic climbs.

Mads Pedersen once again showed his trademark panache, fighting his way into the breakaway and securing the points needed to all but seal the green jersey. The Dane’s willingness to attack even on the toughest mountain stages underlined one of the most impressive points-classification rides in recent Tour history.

Behind, Tadej Pogačar swapped his usual attacking role for that of super-domestique, setting the pace on the Galibier and the final climbs to protect UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Isaac Del Toro’s third place on GC. The yellow jersey sacrificed his own ambitions of another stage win to help his teammate, creating one of the most fascinating moments of the race.

We also discuss Paul Seixas’ superb ride to defend fourth place overall, the French teenager continuing to announce himself as one of cycling’s brightest future stars, while Remco Evenepoel launched a late move in search of victory and strengthened his grip on second place.

Ned Boulting and Lizzie Deignan Breakdown Stage 20 of the Tour de France 2026.

🎶 Music courtesy of BMG Production Music

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🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.

Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Stage 19 of the 2026 Tour de France delivered one of the greatest spectacles in modern cycling. A 127.9km mountain stage from Gap to Alpe d'Huez, with 3,500 metres of climbing, always promised fireworks, but what unfolded on the Tour's most iconic climb exceeded every expectation.

Richard Carapaz, Lenny Martinez and Sepp Kuss looked set to fight for the stage after an elite breakaway survived deep into the final ascent. But behind them, Tadej Pogačar had other ideas. Launching a devastating attack from the GC group, he rode alone up Alpe d'Huez, hunting down the breakaway one rider at a time before attacking again inside the final kilometre to claim one of the most memorable victories of his career. He didn't just win on cycling's most famous climb, he set the fastest ever ascent of Alpe d'Huez.

It was a performance that felt almost impossible to comprehend. Was this the greatest ride of Pogačar's career? Is it one of the finest individual performances the Tour de France has ever witnessed? We break down every moment of an unforgettable afternoon in the Alps.

We also discuss Carapaz's remarkable back-to-back mountain raids, Lenny Martinez's outstanding ride into second place, Remco Evenepoel strengthening his grip on second overall, and how the battles for the podium and polka-dot jersey have been transformed heading into the final weekend. Carapaz's efforts also moved him into the lead of the King of the Mountains competition, setting up a thrilling fight for the jersey.

Ned Boulting and David Millar Breakdown Stage 19 of the Tour de France 2026.

🎶 Music courtesy of BMG Production Music

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🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.

Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Stage 18 of the 2026 Tour de France was another huge day in the Alps, taking the riders 185.2km from Voiron to Orcières-Merlette with 3,900 metres of climbing. On paper, it looked like another day for the GC contenders—but instead, the breakaway finally had its moment.

A world-class group fought all day for the stage, with Richard Carapaz, Matteo Jorgenson, Mauro Schmid, Valentin Paret-Peintre and Tobias Halland Johannessen all sensing a rare opportunity. When the attacks finally came on the final climb, it was Carapaz who made the decisive move, riding clear on the slopes to claim EF Education-EasyPost's first stage victory of the Tour after weeks of relentless attacking.

Behind, the general classification battle never truly ignited, despite Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe setting a hard tempo on the final climb. Tadej Pogačar, Remco Evenepoel, Isaac Del Toro and Paul Seixas all crossed the line together, meaning the fight for yellow—and the battle for the remaining podium places—remains delicately poised heading into the Tour's decisive mountain stages.

However, there were signs that UAE Team Emirates-XRG may not be quite as invincible as they have looked. Brendan McNulty abandoned the race through illness, Adam Yates was dropped long before the finale, and for the first time in the high mountains, Pogačar looked noticeably lighter on support. Is that simply the cost of three demanding weeks, or is there finally an opportunity for his rivals to exploit?

Elsewhere, Mads Pedersen strengthened his grip on the green jersey by comfortably taking maximum points at the intermediate sprint, putting himself back in control of the points classification after Jasper Philipsen's victory the previous day.

Ned Boulting and David Millar Breakdown Stage 18 of the Tour de France 2026.

🎶 Music courtesy of BMG Production Music

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🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.

Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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