Pogacar closes in on record-equalling fifth Tour title after Vingegaard crashes out

PLATEAU DE SOLAISON, France — Tadej Pogačar tightened his grip on the 2026 Tour de France on Sunday, moving to the brink of a record-equalling fifth title after his main rival, Jonas Vingegaard, crashed out of the race on stage 15.

The 27-year-old UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader, already a four-time champion, finished second on the mountain-top finish at the Plateau de Solaison, edged in a sprint by Remco Evenepoel. But the decisive moment of the day came earlier, on the approach to the final climb.

Vingegaard, a two-time Tour winner and the only rider to have seriously challenged Pogačar in recent years, went down hard around 21 kilometres from the line and abandoned the race, climbing into an ambulance with his arm in a sling and a suspected broken collarbone. He had started the stage 4 minutes and 30 seconds behind Pogačar in the general classification.

With his chief rival gone, Pogačar now leads Evenepoel by five minutes overall, with UAE teammate Isaac Del Toro third at 5:58. Paul Seixas and Florian Lipowitz round out the top five. The Slovenian also leads the mountains classification, the polka-dot jersey currently worn on his behalf by Valentin Paret-Peintre.

Victory in Paris would hand Pogačar a fifth Tour de France crown, equalling the all-time record shared by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.

He has been the dominant force throughout this year's race, winning four stages — including stage 14 — and controlling proceedings with a powerful UAE team around him.

The peloton now heads into a second rest day before stage 16, an individual time trial — a discipline that has often favoured Pogačar — leaving the race leader well placed to extend his advantage as the Tour enters its final week.