Tadej Pogacar passes Froome as Tour de France record chase gathers pace
Tadej Pogacar continues to carve his name deeper into Tour de France history, tightening his grip on the yellow jersey while adding more stage victories to his growing collection.
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Following his commanding victory on stage ten at Le Lioran, the Slovenian will start Wednesday’s stage from Vichy to Nevers in yellow for the 60th day of his Tour career. That takes him beyond four time Tour winner Chris Froome, whose career total stands at 59, and brings him level with Miguel Indurain.
It is another remarkable landmark for a rider who is still only 27. Pogačar has reached 60 days in yellow during his seventh Tour appearance. Froome started ten editions in total, although the Briton wore yellow for the final time during his seventh appearance in 2017, when he was 32.
Only Hinault and Merckx remain ahead of him in the widely used ranking for total days in yellow, with 79 and 111 respectively.
The gap is still significant, but at Pogačar’s current pace, those records may soon be within reach.
Most yellow jerseys worn
| Rider | Number of days in the yellow jersey |
|---|---|
Eddy Merckx (Belgian) | 111 |
Bernard Hinault (French) | 79 |
Tadej Pogačar (Slovenian) | 60 |
Miguel Indurain (Spanish) | 60 |
Chris Froome (British) | 59 |
Jacques Anquetil (French) | 52 |
Sylvère Maes (Belgian) | 41 |
Antonin Magne (French) | 39 |
Nicolas Frantz (Luxembourgish) | 37 |
Philippe Thys (Belgian) | 36 |
Pogacar chased Tour legends
Pogačar's victory Le Lioran was his third of the 2026 Tour and the 24th Tour de France stage win of his career.
That total places the Slovenian fifth on the all time list of Tour stage winners. He is now only one victory behind French champion André Leducq, who won 25 stages, and four behind Bernard Hinault, who collected 28. Eddy Merckx remains second with 34 victories, while Mark Cavendish holds the record with 35.
Pogačar started this Tour with 21 career stage victories and has quickly climbed further up the all time rankings. He claimed his first win of this edition at Les Angles on stage three, before launching a devastating attack over the Col du Tourmalet to win stage six. His solo victory at Le Lioran then took his career tally to 24 Tour stage wins.
With 11 stages still to come, Pogačar will have plenty of opportunities to add to that total. Speaking on the first rest day, Movistar sports director Rojas predicted victories for the Slovenian at Le Lioran, Plateau de Solaison and Alpe d’Huez, as well as in the individual time trial.
Pogačar has already delivered on the first of those predictions by winning on Tuesday.
“He will win six stages and take a huge share of the spoils,” Rojas said. If that prediction proves accurate, Pogačar would finish the Tour with 27 career stage victories, just one short of Tour legend Bernard Hinault.
Most Tour de France stage wins
| Rider | Number of stage wins |
|---|---|
Mark Cavendish (British) | 35 |
Eddy Merckx (Belgian) | 34 |
Bernard Hinault (French) | 28 |
André Leducq (French) | 25 |
Tadej Pogačar (Slovenian) | 24 |
André Darrigade (French) | 22 |
Nicolas Frantz (Luxembourgish) | 20 |
François Faber (Luxembourgish) | 19 |
Jean Alavoine (French) | 17 |
Jacques Anquetil (French) | 16 |
René Le Grevès (French) | 16 |
Charles Pélissier (French) | 16 |
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