Tadej Pogacar underlined his dominance in the Tour de France 2026 by winning stage 10 on Bastille Day, further strengthening his grip on the yellow jersey. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider crossed the finish line in 3 hours 58 minutes and 8 seconds, securing his third stage win of this year's race. Remco Evenepoel finished second, 32 seconds behind, followed by Paul Seixas in third, 34 seconds adrift.
Pogacar Extends Overall Lead
With this victory, Pogacar now leads the general classification by 3 minutes and 36 seconds over Jonas Vingegaard, who finished seventh on the stage. Evenepoel sits third overall, 4 minutes and 6 seconds back. Juan Ayuso is fourth at 4 minutes 22 seconds, with Seixas rounding out the top five at 4 minutes 35 seconds.
Pogacar's performance was described as "in a galaxy of his own" by commentator Rob Hatch. The Slovenian champion averaged 42 km/h over the mountainous stage, an "infernal pace" according to analyst Sean Kelly. Pogacar attacked on the final climb, dropping his rivals and soloing to the win. "Today was incredible," Pogacar said after the stage. "The team did a super-good job. We targeted this stage from a long time ago. Like the last time here, my legs were destroyed in the end. I didn't know I was going to win until the last kilometre. I remembered it was Bastille Day – and wanted to honour the yellow jersey."
Evenepoel's Fightback and Carapaz's Descent
Remco Evenepoel showed resilience, recovering from a moment where he lost contact with the favourites to claim second place. Richard Carapaz, who attacked early, was caught by the yellow jersey group with 8 km to go. Carapaz's descent was described by a fan as "absolutely uninsurable". Pogacar acknowledged the fans, including those who booed, saying, "to all the guys who were booing: they give us more power."
Classification Updates After Stage 10
In the points classification, Mads Pedersen leads with 293 points, followed by Biniam Girmay (239) and Tim Merlier (213). Pogacar holds the King of the Mountains jersey with 42 points, ahead of Vingegaard (27) and Carapaz (19).
The top 10 GC after stage 10: 1) Pogacar 36hr 15min 02sec, 2) Vingegaard +3min 36sec, 3) Evenepoel +4min 06sec, 4) Ayuso +4min 22sec, 5) Seixas +4min 35sec, 6) Lipowitz +4min 44sec, 7) Del Toro +5min 08sec, 8) Skjelmose +5min 45sec, 9) Martinez +6min 34sec, 10) Pidcock +11min 49sec.
Looking Ahead to Stage 11
Stage 11 on Wednesday 15 July takes riders from Vichy to Nevers over 161.3 km. It is a flat stage with 1,400 metres of climbing, offering opportunities for sprinters. The intermediate sprint comes early after 27 km. According to William Fotheringham, the sprinters will target the intermediate sprint if the terrain suits, and the only possible change to the script is if the wind splits the race on exposed roads.
