'It's something you wouldn't even write in a story book' - Tadej Pogačar wins a fifth Tour de France while Mathieu van der Poel takes wins a breathtaking final stage

Mathieu van der Poel won a brilliant 21st stage of the Tour de France on Sunday after escaping with yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar on the final ascent of the Montmartre climb during the Paris final.

In an extraordinarily tense final, Van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) took 12 seconds onto the Champs Elysées, leading a large group of chasers, including sprinters and their lead outs.

With their lead down to just five seconds inside the last kilometre, Pogačar was unable to maintain his effort, but Van der Poel forged on, winning the stage by a bike length form his team mate Jasper Philipsen. Green jersey Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) was third.

With the GC times decided before the first of three longer laps up the Montmartre climb, which remained in the route after its debut last year, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) confirmed his fifth overall win at the Tour de France.

Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) was second overall and Pogačar's team mate, Isaac Del surviving a poorly timed mechanical to take third and the best young rider classification.

Pogačar was never lower than fourth on GC, taking the yellow jersey on stage three, ceding it, then never relinquishing it after reclaiming the race lead on stage six. Not only that but he won five stages en route to a record equalling fifth overall win, again unarguably confirming him among the sport's greatest ever.

"It was an amazing day, I'm speechless," Pogačar said. "An incredible day an incredible atmosphere and happy that it's over and that we won for the fifth time. Every victory is very special, and it's seven Tours already and seven times on the podium, and five wins. It's something you wouldn't even write in a story book, it's unbelievable even for me.

"I don't know's a lot of factors," he said when asked how he did it. "The most important I think is that you enjoy what you're doing and you have good people around you, that you trust that they help and that they're there for you when you're on your lowest. Then you can build yourself and chase your dreams. And you have to set your goals always, need to now find a new goal after this," he concluded, though he refused to say what those dreams might be.

How it happened

After Sunday's final stage was shortened, the race was reduced from the scheduled 133km to just 89km, the start moved to the finish location on the Champs Elysées. Indeed, seven laps of the traditional 6.8km circuit comprised the opening of the race, before it headed for three of a longer circuit taking in the Montmartre climb seen in last year's Tour.

This final circuit had been tweaked from last year, when Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) won in the pouring rain, with the ride from the top of the climb to the line extended to 10.4km, the race returning to the Champs Elysées via the Arc de Triomphe. This changed the dynamic of the stage, the sprinters having a greater opportunity to get back on.

Without the traditional run into the city meant we saw none of the Champagne drinking celebratory photo opportunities, instead we got a couple of parade laps. First the jersey winners on the front, then those same riders and their teams and a series of ad hoc groups, the Danes, a couple of teams, the podium, no one really seemed to know when to start racing.

Before they did, organisers announced the general classification times would be decided before the first of the three Montmartre laps, with 41km remaining. Eventually Pogačar's UAE team gradually lifted the pace, before the attacks came as the third lap started, 75km to go.

After an aggressive lap, Baptiste Viestroffer (Lotto-Intermarché) was a few seconds off the front, and though the chase behind never let up, he held on until just after the intermediate sprint at the end of the fifth circuit.

On the approach to the start of the seventh lap Xabier Azparren (Pinarello-Q36.5) and Thibaut Guernalec (TotalEnergies) escaped, the pair building a lead of 50 seconds as they left the Champs Elysées for the first Montmartre lap. However, as they did so, the pace was up in the peloton.

A stretched peloton caught Guernalec and Azparren as they reached the top of the climb, green jersey Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) leading onto the descent, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Pogačar on his wheel.

A group of nine headed back to the Arc de Triomphe where they would rejoin the Champs Elysées, but much of the peloton had reformed by the time they got there. Despite the pace being knocked off at the front, a group which had detached off the back and included Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5) were unable to get back on and they began the penultimate 16km lap a minute down.

Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe led towards the base of the climb, but it was Tim Wellens who was first wheel as the road edged upwards, working for Pogačar, who made his move half way up the climb.

At the top only Van der Poel was on his wheel, though Evenepoel caught them soon after the top, while Pedersen got back on before they reached the Arc de Triomphe. However, with Decathlon-CMA CGM leading the chase the four leaders were unable to consolidate their advantage and were caught at the farthest end of the Champs Eylsées. Here UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Lidl-Trek took control of the race, leading it across the line for the final lap.

Soudal Quick-Step made the pace as the climb approached for the final time, but the final ascent was less explosive, at least to start. Fred Wright (Pinarello-Q36.5) attacked early on, though the British champion was summarily dropped when Van der Poel made his move half way up, once again taking only Pogačar with him.

Though they took turns to maintain their lead, a group of six, including two from Visma-Lease a Bike were handful of seconds back, with a bigger group chasing them. By the time the two leaders reached the Champs Elysées with five kilometres to go, their advantage was steady at 12 seconds.

However, as they entered the final two kilometres, it was all but over and the tensest of finals was in store.

RESULTS

RACE NAME, STAGE 21, PARIS > PARIS (88.7KM)

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Premier Tech, in 1:58:49
2. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Premier Tech, at same time
3. Made Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek,
4. Max Kanter (Ger) XDS Astana,
5. Ben Healey (Ire) EF Education-EasyPost,
6. Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain Victorious,
7. Rick Pluimers (Ned) Tudo Pro Cycling,
8. Anthony Turgis (Fra) TotalEnergies,
9. Milan Fretin (Fra) Cofidis,
10. Clément Russo (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United, all at same time

FINAL GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, in 73:56:26
2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, +6:26
3. Isaac del Toro (Mex) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +9:42
4. Paul Seixas (Fra) Decathlon CMA CGM, +11:56
5. Lenny Martinez (Fra) Bahrain-Victorious, +13:02
6. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek,+14:59
7. Juan Ayuso (Esp) Lidl-Trek, +17:48
8. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost, +20:00
9. Tom Pidcock (Gbr), Pinarello Q36.5, +29:28
10. Jordan Jegat (Fra) TotalEnergies, +33:21