Pogačar extends Tour lead over 3:30 with Bastille Day solo win; Vingegaard's second place at risk
On the French national holiday, Tadej Pogačar attacked 16 kilometres from the finish at Col de Pertus and rode alone to his third stage win of the 2026 Tour de France, stretching his general classification lead to more than three and a half minutes. Remco Evenepoel finished second 32 seconds back, while Jonas Vingegaard slipped further behind and now holds only a 30-second advantage over the Belgian in the fight for the podium.
Pogačar's solo attack on Bastille Day
Stage 10 of the Tour de France ran 166.6 kilometres from Aurillac to Le Lioran with seven categorised climbs and roughly 3,800 metres of elevation gain. On the Col de Pertus, a first-category ascent, Pogačar launched the decisive move 16 kilometres from the finish. No rival attempted to follow. The UAE Team Emirates rider caught Richard Carapaz, the last survivor of the breakaway, and continued alone to the line.
I enjoyed the day. Today is the national holiday, I wanted to honour the yellow jersey. We have to be grateful for the moments. You never know how long it will last.
Podium battle tightens
Evenepoel won the sprint from the chasing group to take second place, with Frenchman Paul Seixas third and Germany's Florian Lipowitz fourth, 34 seconds behind Pogačar. Vingegaard crossed the line twelve seconds after Evenepoel. In the overall standings Pogačar's lead now exceeds 3:30. Vingegaard remains second but his cushion over third-placed Evenepoel has shrunk to only 30 seconds. Juan Ayuso and Seixas are both within a minute of the Dane.
- Peloton leaves for the 166.6 km stage with seven mountain passes.
- A group of over 30 riders, including French hopefuls, forms and gains up to two minutes.
- Pogačar's UAE Team Emirates squad keeps the gap under two minutes on the climbs.
- Pogačar attacks 16 km before the finish; no rival can follow.
- Pogačar passes Richard Carapaz, the last escapee, and goes solo.
- He crosses the line in Le Lioran to take his third 2026 stage win and 24th career Tour stage.
- Remco Evenepoel wins the chase-group sprint for second place, 32 seconds down.
- Florian Lipowitz finishes fourth, ahead of Jonas Vingegaard.
Revenge at Le Lioran
The finish at Le Lioran held special meaning for Pogačar. At the same resort in 2024 he had lost a tight sprint to Vingegaard in one of his rare defeats. This time he made sure no sprint would materialise. The stage win was his third of the 2026 edition and the 24th Tour stage victory of his career, moving him one win behind André Leducq (25) on the all-time list. Mark Cavendish holds the record with 35.
- Mark Cavendish
- 35 stage wins
- André Leducq
- 25 stage wins
- Tadej Pogačar
- 24 stage wins
I enjoyed the day. Today is the national holiday, I wanted to honour the yellow jersey. We have to be grateful for the moments. You never know how long it will last.
Vingegaard under pressure
Before the stage Vingegaard gave a candid interview to Danish broadcaster TV2 in which he admitted that he had been unhappy during the previous season and that changes were necessary. He said his Visma team had recognised the situation and agreed to adjust its approach.
I said last year: if it has to go on like this, I can't do it any more. That's why we changed a few things. I think the team also saw how things were. They noticed that I wasn't happy last year.
Lipowitz rising, team friction fading
Lipowitz's fourth place lifted him to sixth in the general classification. Earlier in the race he had clashed with co-captain Evenepoel over perceived lack of support on the Tourmalet stage. This time the roles reversed: Lipowitz eased the pace on the final kilometres after Evenepoel was briefly distanced, allowing the Belgian to return and ultimately contest the sprint for second.
When Pogačar accelerates, we don't have the legs to follow. Pogačar was simply too strong. I didn't quite make the podium, but we can be super happy. We're on a good path in the second week. The form is right. With Remco and me things are looking good for the podium.
What comes next
Stage 11 on Wednesday covers 161.3 kilometres from Vichy to Nevers over almost entirely flat terrain. Only two fourth-category climbs await the riders, making a mass sprint finish the likely scenario. The sprinters' teams are expected to control the day as the general classification contenders rest ahead of harder stages later in the week.
