Tadej Pogacar is on the cusp of another Grand Tour triumph. With five stages remaining in the 2026 Tour de France, the Slovenian superstar holds a lead of four minutes and 32 seconds over Remco Evenepoel in the general classification — a gap that, on current evidence, looks set to carry him all the way to the Champs-Élysées.
The Tour began with a Grand Départ in Barcelona on 4 July and has wound its way through Spain and across France over the past three weeks, producing breathtaking racing and fierce competition throughout the peloton. Stage 16 on Tuesday provided yet another memorable moment, with Evenepoel surging to a fine victory on the shores of Lake Geneva on what was dubbed Belgium Day — a morale-boosting result for the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider even if it did little to change the overall picture.
General Classification After Stage 16
Here is how the overall standings look heading into the final five stages:
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) — 56h 14′ 18”
- Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe) — +4′ 32”
- Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates XRG) — +6′ 51”
- Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) — +7′ 11”
- Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) — +9′ 22”
- Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) — +10′ 14”
- Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) — +12′ 50”
- Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) — +12′ 58”
Pogacar holds not only the yellow jersey but the polka dot jersey as the race’s leading climber — a double that underlines the Slovenian’s dominance in both the mountains and the overall classification. In the points competition, Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek leads the green jersey on 417 points. The white jersey for the best young rider is worn by Isaac Del Toro, Pogacar’s UAE teammate who sits in third overall — a stunning showing from the young Mexican, who has made a tremendous impression across three weeks of hard racing.
The Road to Paris: Stages 17 to 21
Today’s Stage 17 runs from Chambéry to Voiron — a comparatively gentler day before the intensity of the final Alpine weekend arrives. Stage 18 on Thursday 23 July climbs from Voiron to Orcières-Merlette, with a summit finish that should bring the climbers back to the fore.
Then comes the centrepiece of the 2026 race: a spectacular back-to-back double of summit finishes on Alpe d’Huez. Stage 19 on Friday 24 July runs from Gap to the summit of Alpe d’Huez — one of the most iconic climbs in all of cycling and a perennial magnet for fans from around the world. The following day, Stage 20 departs from Le Bourg d’Oisans and, remarkably, attacks the very same legendary mountain again. Two consecutive stages finishing at Alpe d’Huez is a bold choice by the race organisers and virtually guarantees that the 2026 Tour title will be decided somewhere on those famous hairpin bends.
The traditional finale on the Champs-Élysées follows on Sunday 26 July, where the sprinters take centre stage as the yellow jersey wearer savours the moment.
Can Evenepoel Turn the Tables?
Four minutes and 32 seconds is a considerable deficit to overturn against a rider of Pogacar’s calibre in the mountains. Evenepoel’s Stage 16 victory showed he is still in fine form and has not given up the fight, but the arithmetic of the general classification makes a comeback extremely difficult. To claim the yellow jersey in Paris, the Belgian would need to gain time on multiple stages — and Pogacar has been near-impossible to crack in the high mountains throughout this Tour.
The Alpe d’Huez double represents Evenepoel’s last realistic opportunity. If he can attack aggressively on one or both of those stages and claw back significant ground, the processional finale into Paris might yet carry some suspense. More likely, Pogacar will use those iconic ascents to seal the race emphatically — adding the 2026 Tour de France title to a palmares that grows more remarkable with every passing season.
For fans across Singapore and Southeast Asia, the final week of the Tour offers unmissable action. Visit the official Tour de France website at letour.fr for the full stage schedule and live coverage options. For other major sporting events this month, see Ryan Fox’s dramatic Open Championship win at Royal Birkdale and the latest on the Formula 1 title fight heading into the Hungarian Grand Prix.
