Tadej Pogačar romps to stage 14 victory at the Tour de France

Extending his lead in the Yellow Jersey, Tadej Pogačar won stage 14 of the Tour de France for UAE Team Emirates-XRG. The victory was Pogačar’s 25th at the Tour de France in his illustrious career, and the fourth of this year’s edition.

In winning at Le Markstein for the second time in his career, Pogačar reasserted his dominance in the general classification, with the Slovenian’s advantage over the second-placed Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) now standing at four and a half minutes.

Pogačar’s teammate Isaac del Toro, meanwhile, produced a battling performance to take second place across the line, ensuring a pleasant 1-2 finish for UAE Team Emirates-XRG on Saturday afternoon. The Mexican sits less than a minute from the top three in the general classification.

Pogačar’s latest triumph was the 125th of his remarkable career, and was taken thanks once again to the brilliant work of his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates. The Emirati squad had its work cut out for it to keep the day’s breakaway in check, but still they were able to set Pogačar up for success at Le Markstein.

Earlier in the day, the breakaway had numbered a little under 40 riders, and their maximum advantage sat at a little over three minutes to the peloton. In response, UAE Team Emirates-XRG came to the front of the peloton and chipped away at the break’s lead throughout the afternoon. This work was particularly evident when Felix Großschartner came to the front on the Ballon d’Alsace (9km at 6.95).

On these tough slopes, the Austrian produced a vicious turn of pace to reduce the gap to under two minutes, at which point the stage victory became a very real possibility for Pogačar.

With the breakaway within catching distance, Brandon McNulty guided Pogačar onto the slopes of the final climb, the Col du Haag (11.2km at 7.2%). Up the ascent, both Decathlon CMA CGM and Visma-Lease a Bike sought to put the race leader under pressure, but despite attacks from both Paul Seixas and Jonas Vingegaard, Pogačar proved a match to the assaults.

Biding his time, Pogačar waited until 1.6km from the summit to make his move, and it was a move that immediately distanced all of his rivals. The Slovenian danced out of the saddle and powered up the climb, as the thousands of supporters at the roadside roared their heroes to the heights. There was 7.5km of the stage to ride when Pogačar attacked, and at no point would he be caught.

Over the top of the Col du Haag, Seixas and Vingegaard had emerged as the closest contenders to Pogačar, with Del Toro mustering all of his strength to catch the chasing duo over the crest. With Del Toro back in the mix, UAE Team Emirates-XRG was perfectly positioned for the finale.

As the kilometres ticked by, it became clear that Pogačar was the strongest on the day, and he was able to celebrate his fourth stage win of the race at the finish in Le Markstein. Del Toro, meanwhile, packed the fastest sprint to the line and came home in second place. Their efforts made for a superb afternoon for UAE Team Emirates-XRG.

Another mountain stage awaits Pogačar and the peloton on Sunday, before the race’s final rest day on Monday.

Pogačar: “Today I must say thanks to all the fans that came to the side of the road. It was really something unforgettable, I think. To see all the crowds on the hills on the top of the mountain, I have never seen anything like this, so thanks to all. I think all the cyclists, all the riders, we have such massive respect for each other, and I think we all put on a great show. It is nice to see this kind of racing.

“I knew that Isaac was not at his 100% best, so I was waiting for the last kilometres to see if there was going to be any movements. But actually Decathlon and Jonas [Vingegaard] did a really hard pace on the climb, and there were one-by-one guys dropping. I felt good so I said the last two kilometres, I knew very well, there was so much crowd that it gives you an additional boost to go to the top. I gave it a go today, I had good feelings, so I grabbed it, and I took the opportunity.”

“It was a really perfect day [for the team]. We marked this stage since the beginning. I know this stage very well, it is beautiful and just an incredible area for cycling. I have good memories from here, so in the team we had this day in mind.”

Tour de France 2026 stage 14 results:

1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 4:00:07

2. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +38″

3. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) s.t

Tour de France 2026 general classification after stage 14:

1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 51:18:28

2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) +4:30

3. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) +5:04

7. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +5:50

On stage 3 of the Giro Ciclistico della Valle d’Aosta in Italy, Mateo Pablo Ramírez took a fine victory for UAE Team Emirates Gen Z, and shot himself up to second overall. It is the Ecuadorian’s first victory for the Emirati squad’s development team, and sees him well in the mix in a race that often pinpoints the stars of the future.

At a little over 150km in length, stage 3 to Saint Christophe had almost 4,000m of climbing on Saturday afternoon, and it is on this terrain that Pablo Ramírez flourishes.

Keen to support his team leader on stage 3, the Ecuadorian had teammate Ugo Fabries in the day’s breakaway. The break’s advantage was pegged at two and a half minutes by the team of the race leader, Henrique Bravo (Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team), but still, Fabries made sure to offer his assistance to Pablo Ramírez later in the day.

With most of the break caught, Fabries provided a stellar lead-out for his teammate on the final major climb of the day. Over the top of the Frenchman, Pablo Ramírez made his move and was only followed by Bravo, with the two showing themselves as the strongest climbers in the race.

Over the top of the climb and into the descent, there was just Liam O’Brien (Lidl-Trek Future Racing) who could attach himself to the back wheels of the pair. The Irishman had been in the breakaway and made a brave attack to put himself out front alone.

Heading to the punchy uphill finish at Saint Christophe, then, there were three riders at the head of the race, and Pablo Ramírez packed the fastest kick of the lot. Sprinting out of the saddle, the Ecuadorian stole a march on his two rivals and was able to claim victory on stage 3.

The win moves the UAE Team Emirates Gen Z rider up to second overall, with his deficit to Bravo cut to just 26 seconds heading into the fourth and final stage of the race.

Pablo Ramírez: “I’m really happy to have won such a tough stage in a really hot climate. I tried various ways to gain time on Henrique, but he did a good job of holding off. Tomorrow’s final climb is very long, and I’ll do everything I can to try and overturn the overall standings.”

Image credit below: ©️ Alexis Courthoud

Giro Ciclistico della Valle d’Aosta 2026 stage 3 results:

1. Mateo Pablo Ramírez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 4:20:31

2. Henrique Bravo (Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team) +2″

3. Liam O’Brien (Lidl-Trek Future Racing) s.t

Giro Ciclistico della Valle d’Aosta 2026 general classification after stage 3:

1. Henrique Bravo (Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team) 8:40:30

2. Mateo Pablo Ramírez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +26″

3. Max Bock (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe Rookies) +1:02