Mathieu van der Poel praise for 'unselfish' Tadej Pogacar after securing year-long aim in Tour de France finale - 'I've thought about this for a year'

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Mathieu van der Poel said his victory on the final stage of the 2026 Tour de France was a dream come true after producing a breathtaking win on the Champs-Elysees, while TNT Sports analysts hailed his battle with Tadej Pogacar as one of the most memorable finishes in cycling history.

Van der Poel reflects on 'dream' Paris win that came true after a year of planning

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Alpecin-Premier Tech rider Van der Poel attacked on the final Montmartre climb alongside UAE Team Emirates-XRG star Pogacar, who had already secured his fifth Tour de France title, to set up a thrilling finale to the race.

The pair looked set for a two-way battle to the finish but in the end it was Van der Poel who held off the chasing sprinters to claim victory in Paris.

Van der Poel said he had been imagining the moment for a year after illness forced him to watch last year's finale from home.

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"A year I was thinking about this," an exhausted Van der Poel said. "When I was sick last year and I had to watch the stage on television, I was already thinking about this moment.

"The way it went, it's a dream. It's incredible. It was super hard, and to be up there with the best rider in the world, all my respect for Tadej."

The Dutchman and Pogacar created a thrilling finale as they opened a gap on the peloton but, with the advantage disappearing inside the final kilometre, Van der Poel knew he had to commit fully.

"I thought we were going to get caught back, then I was just thinking about this moment," he added. "I put my head down in the last 500 metres. I just went as hard as I could.

'He can't move!' - Van der Poel collapses to the floor after astonishing finale

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"I was waiting until a wheel was coming. It didn't happen, didn't happen, and in the very end I see a Pirelli tyre next to me and it's Jasper's [team-mate, Philipsen]."

Van der Poel crossed the line ahead of team-mate Jasper Philipsen and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), securing one of the biggest wins of his career on cycling's most famous finishing straight.

"It shows we never give up," Van der Poel added. "Maybe the start of our Tour was not good, but I won the Champs-Elysees, so pretty good. I'm super happy. I have a few races I still wanted to win in my career and this was one of them."

Pogacar: I need to find a new goal

While Van der Poel claimed the spotlight on the final stage, Pogacar completed another historic Tour de France campaign by securing his fifth overall victory.

The UAE rider said he was struggling to find the words to describe the achievement after another dominant performance that further strengthened his place among cycling's all-time greats.

”It was an amazing day," he said. "I’m speechless. It’s an incredible day. There was an incredible atmosphere. I’m happy that the race is over and that we won it for the fifth time.

"Every victory is really special. I’ve ridden seven Tours already and I’ve always finished on the podium. You might think this is a fairy-tale - it’s incredible for me too."

Tadej Pogacar celebrates his fifth Tour de France crown

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Pogacar credited the support around him for helping him continue to achieve at the highest level, admitting he is already searching for his next challenge after reaching another career milestone.

”I don’t know how I do it," Pogacar said. "There are many factors involved. The most important one is enjoying what you do and being surrounded by people who are there for you, also in the lowest times, and support you so you can build towards your goals.

"I now have to find a new goal to chase, once this one is accomplished. Which goal? Let’s just not jump ahead of ourselves and enjoy this moment.”

'That tops everything!' - Van der Poel wins epic Stage 21 by MILLIMETRES

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The Slovenian, who left the door open to race the La Vuelta a Espana next month, paid tribute to the riders who shared the podium with him and those who were forced to leave the race early through crashes, adding that the Tour remains the ultimate test in cycling because of the level of competition and sacrifice required.

”It’s a magnificent podium, shared with incredible champions with whom I’ve been fighting all these weeks," Pogacar said." Shame that Jonas [Vingegaard] and many others crashed out of this Tour. I hope we can all fight again next year.

"If you enter the Tour de France, you know you have to suffer and go through a lot just to be here. You meet the greatest rivals and everybody is in his best shape, doing their best.”

Pogacar and Van der Poel offer 'racing in its purest form'

The dramatic conclusion left TNT Sports' The Breakaway analysts in awe, with Matt Stephens describing the Paris finale as a perfect example of why cycling continues to captivate fans around the world.

Stephens said: "There's something beautiful about this sport, isn't there? Those last few moments embodied why we love cycling so much, especially in a theatre like this with the crowd. It was utterly epic and I've never experienced anything quite like it."

Watch aerial and slo-mo of Van der Poel's sensational sprint to victory

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Stephens was particularly impressed by the way Van der Poel and Pogacar created such a thrilling finale.

"Everything about today was an utter celebration," he said. "You couldn't have scripted a better finale in a bike race. I'm hoarse and I'm quite emotionally drained.

"It was amazing, absolutely amazing. It really was something special, and I think I'm not speaking out of turn to say that was probably the greatest ever finish we've ever seen on the Champs-Elysees."

Former green jersey winner Robbie McEwen praised the willingness of both riders to attack rather than wait for a traditional sprint finish, highlighting the way they elevated the race in the closing kilometres.

"It was absolutely brilliant," McEwen said. "Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel - name me a better couple.

"Without Tadej, this doesn't happen, but the way they constructed their race, not just waiting for the last time but setting it up the time before, making everybody tired, knowing they could go again - you've got to say again, unselfish by Tadej."

McEwen was also amazed by Van der Poel's final acceleration as the Dutchman held off the chasing group.

Watch: Van der Poel and Pogacar detonate brutal attack together on Montmartre

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"He said, 'I'm going to take the final turn, I'm not going to get cagey', but Mathieu had that last acceleration with the final 10-12 pedal strikes out of the saddle," McEwen said. "I was hurting in the same muscles watching, thinking he was about to get a cramp. Every sinew - and you don't get much better drama than that."

Adam Blythe described the finish as the purest form of racing, arguing that the unpredictability of the finale was exactly what makes cycling so compelling.

"This was what cycling is, this is how it should always be," Blythe said. "We always comment that the harder you make cycling, the more predictable it is. Make every race like this, where it comes down to something like that, because that's not going to be repeated for eternity."

Stephens later reflected on the unique battle between two of the sport's biggest stars, praising the competitive respect between them.

"They respect each other so much and they just play off each other," Stephens said. "There's this lovely, beautiful tension and respect, and you could see it play out on the slopes of Montmartre."

McEwen added that the dry conditions allowed the final stage to deliver a true test of racing ability.

He said: "This was pure bike racing - everybody on merit, everybody had their best chance. It wasn't the weather conditions that affected how it played out. This was just pure bike racing and, honestly, it was one of the best races I've seen.

"This is what kids should be watching. Kids should be watching this, taking inspiration from it because it was just down to the wire. No one's looking at numbers, no one's thinking about threshold - it's just racing in its purest form.

"It's like when you go out training with your training partner but you're both really good and you're just trying to hurt each other a little bit more. They're two of the best riders in the world."

Philipsen hails 'beautiful person' Van der Poel

Philipsen praised Van der Poel’s selflessness after finishing second behind his team-mate, describing him as much more than just a champion.

The Belgian said the atmosphere in Paris was unforgettable before highlighting the teamwork that helped deliver a historic finish.

"The atmosphere on Montmartre was something I never experienced before," he said. "It was such a cool atmosphere and all the cycling fans there, they're just amazing. They gave us goosebumps all three weeks long with this final stage in Paris. It's just something to really remember."

Philipsen explained how he balanced protecting Van der Poel’s lead while still fighting for victory himself.

Watch: Pogacar accepts acclaim as he mounts podium to celebrate FIFTH Tour crown

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"I just had to make sure that Mathieu could hold it or either I could surpass him in the final," he said. "I also couldn't look back but the speed was incredibly high. I thought also that nobody would come from the back. I think everybody was on the limit."

The sprinter then paid tribute to Van der Poel’s character and influence within the Alpecin team.

"Mathieu already did so much in the past for me," Philipsen said. "He is an incredible team-mate, not only the champion himself, but even more like a champion, like a friend. Everything he does, not only for me, but for the team, he is absolutely not a selfish guy.

"He is just incredibly strong and he also loves to give wins or help other team-mates. That just makes him a beautiful person."

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