Slovenia's cycling superstar claims fifth Tour de France crown

Slovenia's cycling superstar Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) has secured a historic fifth Tour de France title, equalling the all-time record held by an elite quartet of riders.

The 27-year-old Slovenian chased a final daily victory in Paris on 26 July but faded in the dying moments, leaving Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel to take the stage win, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

Pogačar was the dominant force in the peloton throughout the Tour. The world champion established a decisive lead as early as stage six, putting a massive 2 minutes and 38 seconds into his nearest rival at the time, Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard, who later abandoned the race after a crash.

His tally of five stage wins, which included a record-breaking ascent of the iconic Alpe d'Huez, only tells part of the story. On several stages, the 27-year-old took on the role of super-domestique and mentor, helping his Mexican teammate Isaac del Toro secure third place in the general classification.

At the end, the man regarded by many as the world's best rider ever finished the Tour with a commanding 6 minute and 26 second advantage over Belgium's Remco Evenepoel. Del Toro finished 9 minutes and 42 seconds behind the winner.

With this fifth triumph, Pogačar joins Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault, Belgium's Eddy Merckx, and Spain's Miguel Indurain at the pinnacle of the all-time standings. Indurain was the last man to achieve the five-Tour milestone, securing his final victory in 1995.

"Every victory is really special and now it has been seven Tours already and seven times on the podium, with five wins. It's something that you wouldn't even maybe write in a storybook," Pogačar said after the race.

Asked how he became capable of such feats, he said, "it's a lot of factors, but the most important thing is that you enjoy what you're doing and you have people around you that you trust and who help you and are there for you when you're at your lowest and then you can build yourself and chase your dreams. And yeah, you have to set your goals; I need to now find a new goal after this".

The season's next grand tour, the Vuelta a Espana, gets underway in Monaco in four weeks. Pogačar has left the door ajar for an appearance at the Spanish race, though his team said that a final decision regarding the Vuelta will be made in the days following the Tour's conclusion.

Photo Instagram/tadejpogacar