Tadej Pogacar wins the Tour de Suisse in style by taking the final stage

UAE Team Emirates - XRG team's Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the fith and final stage of the Men's Tour of Switzerland (Tour de Suisse) cycling race, 150.7 km starting and finishing in Villars-sur-Ollon on June 21, 2026. (AFP)

• The 27-year-old Slovenian is in ominous form heading into the July 4-26 Tour, where he’ll try to win the showcase race for the fifth time

VILLARS-SUR-OLLON, Switzerland: Tadej Pogacar warmed up for next month’s Tour de France with a dominant victory in the Tour de Suisse on Sunday, and the cycling star did so in flamboyant style by winning the fifth and final stage.
The 27-year-old Slovenian is in ominous form heading into the July 4-26 Tour, where he’ll try to win the showcase race for the fifth time.
Pogacar won the opening stage of the Tour de Suisse, secured a 1-second victory over rival Mathieu van der Poel in the time trial on Saturday and won stage 5 on Sunday.
Pogacar caught Frenchman Lenny Martinez about 800 meters near the end of the final climb of the 151.1-kilometer (94-mile) trek to Villars-sur-Ollon.
“It was a super hard day,” Pogacar said. “The parcours (route) was really tough, and with the team we did a super good job.”
In the overall standings, Pogacar finished 6 minutes, 32 seconds ahead of Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz and 6:53 clear of Czech rider Mathias Vacek.
Stellar season
Pogacar secured a dominant win at the six-day Tour de Romandie last month, after strong performances in the one-day classics. In April, he clinched a third straight victory at Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
Pogačar also won Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders — winning that race for a third time — and was narrowly beaten at Paris-Roubaix by Wout van Aert.