Tadej Pogacar joins Tour de France immortals with historic fifth victory

The Slovenian completed his third consecutive Tour victory in Paris, adding the 2026 title to his previous successes in 2020, 2021, 2024 and 2025. At 27, he is the first rider to enter the group since Indurain completed his fifth victory in 1995.

Jacques Anquetil established the five-victory benchmark in 1964, seven years after winning the Tour at his first attempt.

After his breakthrough in 1957, the Frenchman returned to claim four consecutive editions between 1961 and 1964. His final victory was also his closest, following a race long battle with compatriot Raymond Poulidor.

Their confrontation on the Puy de Dôme became one of the defining images in Tour history. Poulidor managed to distance Anquetil near the summit, but the defending champion limited the damage and protected his advantage before strengthening his position in the final time trial.

Anquetil reached Paris 55 seconds ahead of Poulidor. He also completed the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France double that season, becoming only the second rider after Fausto Coppi to win both races in the same year.

Eddy Merckx became the second rider to reach five victories in 1974. More remarkably, he had won all five Tours he had entered.

The Belgian dominated the race from his debut in 1969, retaining the title in 1970, 1971 and 1972. After choosing not to compete in the 1973 edition, he returned to take another commanding victory.

Merckx won eight stages during the 1974 Tour and finished more than eight minutes ahead of Raymond Poulidor. His success formed part of an exceptional season in which he also won the Giro d’Italia and the World Championship road race.

He returned to the Tour in 1975 but was beaten by Bernard Thévenet, ending his attempt to become the first rider to claim a sixth title.

Bernard Hinault joined Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx as a five time Tour de France winner in 1985, having previously won the race in 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1982.

The Frenchman established control largely through the time trials, winning the prologue and decisively taking the race lead in the long individual time trial on stage 8. His position became less secure after a heavy crash within the final kilometre of stage 14 in Saint Étienne. Hinault crossed the line with facial injuries and was later diagnosed with a broken nose.

Congestion caused by the injury contributed to bronchitis and left him vulnerable in the Pyrenees. Teammate Greg LeMond, who was already second overall, gained time on Hinault during the stage to Luz Ardiden but was instructed not to cooperate with Stephen Roche in pressing the attack. 

LeMond followed the team orders, allowing Hinault to defend his lead and complete his fifth Tour victory, with the American finishing second.

Hinault returned in 1986 and finished second behind LeMond before retiring later that year. His 1985 success remains the most recent Tour de France victory by a French rider.

Miguel Indurain became the fourth rider to win five Tours in 1995 and remains the only officially recognised rider to have taken all five victories consecutively.

The Spaniard’s sequence began in 1991. His control against the clock and his ability to restrict his losses in the mountains made him the dominant stage racer of the first half of the 1990s.

Indurain completed the run in 1995, finishing ahead of Alex Zülle and Bjarne Riis. He had also won the Giro d’Italia and Tour double in both 1992 and 1993 during his period of dominance.

His attempt to extend the sequence to six Tours ended in 1996, when Riis won the race and Indurain finished outside the podium places.

Pogačar’s route to five Tour victories began with one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the race’s history. In 2020, the 21 year old overturned Primož Roglič’s lead in the penultimate stage time trial to La Planche des Belles Filles and entered Paris in yellow on his Tour debut.

He defended the title in dominant fashion in 2021, but Jonas Vingegaard disrupted his control of the race over the following two years. Pogačar lost significant time on the Col du Granon in 2022 and suffered another blow on Hautacam, finishing second overall.

In 2023, he lost heavily to Vingegaard in the Combloux time trial before another decisive setback on the Col de la Loze, again ending the Tour as runner up.

Those losses made his return to the top in 2024 particularly significant. After winning the Giro d’Italia, Pogačar claimed six Tour stages and completed the first Giro and Tour double since Marco Pantani in 1998, with Jonas Vingegaard finishing second overall. He retained the yellow jersey in 2025, taking four more stage wins and securing his fourth overall victory, again ahead of Vingegaard in second place.

Pogačar arrived at the 2026 Tour with the chance to join Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain as a five time winner. 

He took control during the opening week, using a long range attack on the Col du Tourmalet to establish an immediate and decisive advantage over his main rivals.

The Slovenian continued to strengthen his position throughout the race and collected five stage victories that underlined his dominance.. His final win came on Alpe d’Huez, where he attacked 13 kilometres from the summit to claim his first victory on the iconic climb and the 26th Tour stage win of his career.

On the final mountain stage, Pogačar put himself at the service of teammate Isaac del Toro, helping him secure third place and the white jersey. He ultimately arrived in Paris 6 minutes and 26 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel.

Pogačar became the first rider to join the group of five since Indurain in 1995 and the youngest to reach the landmark. No rider is officially credited with six Tour victories, leaving the Slovenian within reach of a record that has never been achieved.