Extending his lead in the Yellow Jersey, Tadej Pogačar won stage 14 of the 2026 Tour de France for UAE Team Emirates-XRG. The victory was Pogačar’s 25th at the Tour de France in his illustrious career, and the fourth of this year’s edition.
In winning at Le Markstein for the second time in his career, Pogačar reasserted his dominance in the general classification, with the Slovenian’s advantage over the second-placed Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) now standing at four and a half minutes.
Pogačar’s teammate Isaac del Toro, meanwhile, produced a battling performance to take second place across the line, ensuring a pleasant 1-2 finish for UAE Team Emirates-XRG on Saturday afternoon. The Mexican sits less than a minute from the top three in the general classification.
Pogačar’s latest triumph was the 125th of his remarkable career, and was taken thanks once again to the brilliant work of his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates. The Emirati squad had its work cut out for it to keep the day’s breakaway in check, but still they were able to set Pogačar up for success at Le Markstein.
Earlier in the day, the breakaway had numbered a little under 40 riders, and their maximum advantage sat at a little over three minutes to the peloton. In response, UAE Team Emirates-XRG came to the front of the peloton and chipped away at the break’s lead throughout the afternoon. This work was particularly evident when Felix Großschartner came to the front on the Ballon d’Alsace (9km at 6.95).
On these tough slopes, the Austrian produced a vicious turn of pace to reduce the gap to under two minutes, at which point the stage victory became a very real possibility for Pogačar.
With the breakaway within catching distance, Brandon McNulty guided Pogačar onto the slopes of the final climb, the Col du Haag (11.2km at 7.2%). Up the ascent, both Decathlon CMA CGM and Visma-Lease a Bike sought to put the race leader under pressure, but despite attacks from both Paul Seixas and Jonas Vingegaard, Pogačar proved a match to the assaults.
Biding his time, Pogačar waited until 1.6km from the summit to make his move, and it was a move that immediately distanced all of his rivals. The Slovenian danced out of the saddle and powered up the climb, as the thousands of supporters at the roadside roared their heroes to the heights. There was 7.5km of the stage to ride when Pogačar attacked, and at no point would he be caught.
Over the top of the Col du Haag, Seixas and Vingegaard had emerged as the closest contenders to Pogačar, with Del Toro mustering all of his strength to catch the chasing duo over the crest. With Del Toro back in the mix, UAE Team Emirates-XRG was perfectly positioned for the finale.
As the kilometres ticked by, it became clear that Pogačar was the strongest on the day, and he was able to celebrate his fourth stage win of the race at the finish in Le Markstein. Del Toro, meanwhile, packed the fastest sprint to the line and came home in second place. Their efforts made for a superb afternoon for UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
Another mountain stage awaits Pogačar and the peloton on Sunday, before the race’s final rest day on Monday.
Pogačar: “Today I must say thanks to all the fans that came to the side of the road. It was really something unforgettable, I think. To see all the crowds on the hills on the top of the mountain, I have never seen anything like this, so thanks to all. I think all the cyclists, all the riders, we have such massive respect for each other, and I think we all put on a great show. It is nice to see this kind of racing.
“I knew that Isaac was not at his 100% best, so I was waiting for the last kilometres to see if there was going to be any movements. But actually Decathlon and Jonas [Vingegaard] did a really hard pace on the climb, and there were one-by-one guys dropping. I felt good so I said the last two kilometres, I knew very well, there was so much crowd that it gives you an additional boost to go to the top. I gave it a go today, I had good feelings, so I grabbed it, and I took the opportunity.”
“It was a really perfect day [for the team]. We marked this stage since the beginning. I know this stage very well, it is beautiful and just an incredible area for cycling. I have good memories from here, so in the team we had this day in mind.”
2026 Tour de France: Stage 14 Brief Results:
- Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) @ 4h 00’07”
- Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) @ 38″
- Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) s.t
2026 Tour de France: General Classification After Stage 14:
- Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) @ 51h 18’28”
- Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) @ 4’30”
- Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) @ 5’04”
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