Tadej Pogacar Extends Tour de France Lead with Dominant Bastille Day Victory

Posted : 14 July 2026

Tadej Pogacar strengthened his grip on the 2026 Tour de France by producing another commanding performance to claim his third stage victory of the race. The defending champion attacked late in stage 10 to secure a solo win and increase his overall advantage to more than three minutes over his nearest rival, Jonas Vingegaard.

Following the Tour's first rest day, the 166.6km mountain stage from Aurillac to Le Lioran was viewed as an opportunity for Vingegaard to reduce the deficit. The Danish rider had beaten Pogacar in a sprint finish at the same location during the 2024 edition, raising expectations of another close battle.

French supporters also had hopes of seeing teenage sensation Paul Seixas shine on Bastille Day. The 19-year-old delivered an impressive ride to finish third, but he was unable to match Pogacar's decisive attack in the closing kilometres.

Pogacar launched his winning move with around 15km remaining and quickly opened a gap that none of his rivals could close. He crossed the finish line 32 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel, while Seixas completed the podium. Vingegaard finished seventh, 44 seconds behind the Slovenian, leaving him 3 minutes and 36 seconds adrift in the general classification.

The four-time Tour champion revealed that his team had specifically targeted the stage. Pogacar reflected on his defeat to Vingegaard at Le Lioran two years earlier, saying he was pleased to reverse the outcome despite feeling exhausted during the final kilometres.

Richard Carapaz briefly animated the race with an attack on the Puy Mary climb, but Pogacar responded on the penultimate ascent before powering away to collect his third Bastille Day stage victory and the 24th Tour stage win of his career.

Vingegaard initially led the chasing group, while Evenepoel temporarily lost contact before recovering on the descent and producing a strong finish to take second place. Although Vingegaard limited his losses for much of the finale, he conceded additional time over the final stretch.

Despite the setback, Vingegaard remained optimistic after the stage, saying his condition continues to improve and expressing confidence that the longer mountain climbs later in the race will better suit his strengths.

British rider Tom Pidcock endured a scare after crashing on the descent from Puy Mary. He recovered to complete the stage in ninth place, a result that moved him into 10th position in the overall standings.

Tadej Pogacar Extends Tour de France Lead with Dominant Bastille Day Victory

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