On one of the most iconic roads in professional cycling, Tadej Pogacar answered the defining question of this Tour de France: is anyone capable of matching him in the mountains? The Col du Tourmalet stage was a masterclass in dominance, with Pogacar riding 43 kilometres solo to claim the yellow jersey and put 2 minutes and 40 seconds into his great rival Jonas Vingegaard. If there were any doubts about the Slovenian's form heading into the Pyrenees, he erased every single one of them before the finish line came into sight.

What Happened on the Col du Tourmalet Stage?

The stage was always going to be decided in the Pyrenees. Two legendary climbs — the Col d'Aspin and the Col du Tourmalet — served as the arena, and the race narrative shifted dramatically with every kilometre of climbing. Early on, the breakaway battle played out as expected, with riders like Gorka Izagirre and Ben Healy jostling to get into the day's escape. The move even briefly caught Remco Evenepoel off guard, though it was reeled in without fuss.

On the Col d'Aspin, Ben O'Connor — winner of the Col de la Loze the previous year — went solo for 40 km, arriving at the summit in fine style. But the real action was still to come. As UAE Team Emirates turned up the heat, Valentin Paret-Peintre and Lenny Martinez broke clear just before the Aspin summit, engaging in a spirited duel for King of the Mountains points at the top of the Tourmalet — a battle Paret-Peintre ultimately won in a photo-finish moment that had commentators gasping.

What Makes the Col du Tourmalet So Feared?

There's a reason the Col du Tourmalet is spoken about in hushed, reverent tones. Stretching 17.1 km at an average gradient of 7.3%, it is one of the longest and most punishing climbs in the entire Tour de France route. Sitting at an altitude of 2,115 metres, its name is said to derive from a local dialect phrase meaning "bad detour" — and every rider who's ever suffered up its slopes would agree that's an understatement.

  • Length: 17.1 km
  • Average gradient: 7.3%
  • Altitude: 2,115 metres
  • Location: Hautes-Pyrénées, France

The climb has been part of Tour de France lore since 1910 and carries the Souvenir Jacques Anquetil prize for the first rider to summit it. On this stage, it also served as the launchpad for Pogacar's most devastating attack of the race so far.

How Did Pogacar Seize the Yellow Jersey?

It started with Brandon McNulty setting a ferocious tempo on the lower slopes of the Tourmalet, softening up the peloton before the main event. Then came the moment that will be replayed all summer: Pogacar and Juan Ayuso Del Toro pushed clear, and Vingegaard simply had no answer. The Norwegian, riding with what appeared to be real confidence after his Giro d'Italia victory, suddenly had nothing in the tank.

Pogacar's surge was devastating in its efficiency. Within moments he had a gap, and within a few more kilometres it was clear no one was coming back to him. He rode the final 43 km alone — a figure that tells you everything about the scale of his superiority on the day. At the summit of the Tourmalet, he had already carved out roughly 30 seconds over Vingegaard, a gap he would extend ruthlessly on the descent and the run to the finish in Cauteret-Gallavrez.

The yellow jersey wasn't just claimed — it was owned. Pogacar crossed the line in the manner of a world champion who knew the race was already over, leaving a trail of broken hopes behind him on the mountain road.

Why Did Vingegaard Crack on the Tourmalet?

That is the question every cycling fan will be asking in the days ahead. Jonas Vingegaard arrived at this Tour de France with genuine momentum, having won the Giro d'Italia and, by all accounts, a renewed sense of purpose after the serious crash that derailed his 2024 campaign. He was smiling, he was confident — and then Pogacar simply turned the lights out.

When the acceleration came, Vingegaard could not respond. His body language in those critical metres said everything: the head dropping slightly, the cadence faltering, the gap opening. He eventually lost 2 minutes and 40 seconds on the stage — a deficit that represents a major psychological and sporting blow at this point in the race.

Whether this is a one-day blip or a reflection of a deeper form gap between the two rivals remains to be seen. But Vingegaard himself would know better than anyone that you don't surrender 2:40 to Tadej Pogacar on a Pyrenean stage and then simply ride back into contention the next day.

Where Did Remco Evenepoel and Del Toro Finish?

Behind the top two, the battle for the final podium spots was fascinating in its own right. Remco Evenepoel, wearing his trademark race face throughout the climb, finished an impressive fourth on the stage — a result that underlines his growing capacity as a Grand Tour contender in the mountains.

Juan Ayuso Del Toro, who had initially been able to follow Pogacar's first acceleration, eventually lost touch with his leader but showed tremendous strength to finish third. The young UAE rider overtook Evenepoel in the closing metres, demonstrating both his physical quality and the tactical support Pogacar has around him at this race.

Paul Seixas, who had been riding strongly earlier in the stage, was joined by Lipowitz and Del Toro in a group that also included Ayuso, Gelmosa, and Lenny Martinez — these riders forming an elite chasing bunch that bridged together on the descent before the final classification shook out.

The Green Jersey Battle: Pedersen's Smart Move

Not everything on this stage was about the GC fight. In a clever piece of early-stage racing, Mads Pedersen rode out to join Victor Campenaerts on the road to Buzac, targeting the intermediate sprint points. It was a brave but tactically intelligent decision — Pedersen took 25 points at the sprint, pulling clear of his green jersey rivals before they even reached the mountains.

Jasper Philipsen, Girmay, and Canter then contested the remaining points behind him, with Philipsen showing characteristic finishing speed to come out on top in that secondary battle. It was a reminder that even on a day when the mountains are screaming, the points competition has its own chess match playing out simultaneously.

Who Won the Pyrenees Stage and the Final Results

The stage winner was Tadej Pogacar — unambiguously, emphatically, and with the kind of authority that silences entire press rooms. His 43 km solo effort to the finish was the defining image of the day and, so far, the defining image of this Tour de France.

The final stage classification ran as follows:

  • 1st: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) — Yellow Jersey
  • 2nd: Jonas Vingegaard — at 2:40
  • 3rd: Juan Ayuso Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates)
  • 4th: Remco Evenepoel

The day also saw Valentin Paret-Peintre claim the King of the Mountains points on the Tourmalet, in a close contest with compatriot Lenny Martinez that came down to the wire. As the race now moves forward, Pogacar holds the yellow jersey with a commanding lead — and the look of a rider who is nowhere near done yet.