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Van der Poel's Shock Champs-Élysées Win!
26 Jul
Summary
- Van der Poel surprisingly won stage 21 after an audacious attack.
- Pogačar secured his fifth Tour de France title.
- The final stage featured an exciting and unexpected finish.
Mathieu van der Poel secured one of the most astonishing victories of his career on Sunday, winning stage 21 of the Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées. He and yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar broke away on the Montmartre climb, a bold move that initially seemed unlikely to succeed.
Pogačar was caught just 700 metres from the finish line, but Van der Poel continued, unleashing a powerful sprint in the final metres. This stunning display allowed him to hold off the charging sprinters and claim the stage win.
With this victory, Tadej Pogačar officially became a five-time winner of the Tour de France, joining an elite group of cyclists to reach this milestone. The race organizers' decision to include the Montmartre climb transformed the final stage into a thrilling spectacle.
The race organizers' inclusion of the Montmartre climb on the final stage has been praised for creating exciting racing. This year's dramatic finish, with Van der Poel's surprising win and Pogačar's historic achievement, suggests this format could be a fixture for future Tours.
