Cycling star Tadej Pogacar has triumphed once again at the Tour de France. In Paris, following the final stage, the Slovenian joined the exclusive club of five-time winners alongside Belgian legend Eddy Merckx, the two Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault, and the Spaniard Miguel Indurain.
France
‘L’Equipe’: ‘Monumental. Mathieu van der Poel wins a final stage worthy of a Monument. Tadej Pogacar equals the record of five Tour de France victories.’
*Le Parisien*: “He has ascended to the pantheon of cycling. Tadej Pogacar – a fifth star has catapulted him into the galaxy of Tour de France giants.”
*Le Figaro*: “Untouchable, relentless, unyielding: Tadej Pogacar has gone down in Tour de France history with his fifth victory.”
Slovenia
"Delo": "Pogacar’s yellow jersey is unassailable. The Slovenian champion celebrated his historic fifth – and most convincing – victory on the Champs-Élysées."
‘Radiotelevizija Slovenija’: ‘We’ve long since run out of superlatives; or rather, it’s difficult to compose yet another fitting ode to the world’s best cyclist.’
Italy
*Gazzetta dello Sport*: “Pogacar crowned king for the fifth time. Tadej Pogacar has cemented his status as a legend. He has secured his fifth Tour de France title. This places him amongst the very greatest in cycling – alongside legends such as Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.”
‘Tuttosport’: ‘Pogacar V – Paris crowns the Emperor. Pogacar becomes a legend and wins his fifth Tour de France.’
"Corriere dello Sport: 'Pogacar becomes a legend: fifth Tour de France victory, but van der Poel wins the final stage.'"
*Corriere della Sera*: “What, until two years ago, was merely the (admittedly somewhat monotonous) Paris lap of honour in the Tour de France turned out to be the most spectacular stage of the 2026 Grande Boucle this Sunday – the final one. This is thanks to two outstanding riders: five-time winner Tadej Pogacar and the brilliant Mathieu van der Poel.”
Spain
“AS”: “Pogacar is a legend (...) Pogacar isn’t content with a mere victory; he wants to win it in style and make history. On Sunday, with his fifth Tour de France victory, he wrote yet another glorious chapter, thereby securing his place amongst the legendary champions.”
‘Marca’: ‘At the age of 27, he has joined the ranks of Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault and Indurain – five Tour victories that, until now, seemed like a threshold reserved only for the absolute legends. Yet Pogacar has not reached this milestone as if he had completed a stage, but rather like someone who has only just warmed up.”
Great Britain
*The Guardian*: “The tireless Tadej Pogacar has won his fifth Tour de France, equalling the record. (...) Yet his unstoppable success cannot be viewed without reservation. It would be naïve to celebrate a five-time Tour winner without understanding the context. Pogacar is undoubtedly a phenomenon, but his entourage is burdened by the legacy of less glorious times.”
Belgium
‘Het laatste Nieuws’: ‘A Tour full of milestones and records. Whether he was ill or not remained a mystery until his arrival in Paris. One thing is certain, however: with his fifth overall victory in the Tour de France, Tadej Pogacar (27) has equalled the record – following a Tour in which he was vastly superior to the competition for three weeks and broke one record after another.”
Netherlands
*Telegraaf*: “A masterful Tadej Pogacar appeared to be vulnerable following the defeat in the team time trial and the team’s bout of illness during the Tour, but he has dominated from Barcelona to Paris. With his fifth overall victory in the Tour de France, Tadej Pogacar has ensured that there is now a ‘Gang of Five’ when it comes to this rare achievement.”
Austria
"Krone": "Incredible Pogacar secures his fifth Tour de France victory."
*Kurier*: “The ‘Lovely Cannibal’: How Tadej Pogacar is dominating cycling. Tadej Pogacar has won the Tour de France for the fifth time and is now the record holder. The Slovenian is breaking cycling records left, right and centre.”
Switzerland
*Blick*: “The 2026 Tour de France ends with Tadej Pogacar’s fifth overall victory and a memorable final stage on the Champs-Élysées, which Mathieu van der Poel wins by the narrowest of margins.”
*Tagesanzeiger*: “Insatiable, invincible, Pogacar. Thanks to his fifth overall victory, the 27-year-old has drawn level with Eddy Merckx. Tadej Pogacar is smashing records and is admired – yet he is facing increasing boos.”
*Neue Zürcher Zeitung*: “Tadej Pogacar becomes the Tour de France’s record winner – he has evolved from a golden boy into a leader.”
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