For The Love Of Cycling

Tour de France 2026 Stage 21: Van der Poel defeats Pogačar in epic Paris finale as the Tour comes to a close The 2026 Tour de France concluded with a spectacular finish on the streets of Paris as Mathieu van der Poel edged out Tadej Pogačar after an unforgettable duel over the Montmartre climbs and onto the Champs-Élysées. With the yellow jersey already secured, Pogačar still refused to settle for a ceremonial ride into Paris, attacking once again and producing one final battle that perfectly summed up this year’s race. We break down the tactical showdown between two of the sport’s biggest stars, how Van der Poel held his nerve to claim one of the most prestigious stage victories in cycling. We also reflect on the wider story of the 2026 Tour de France as Pogačar secured a fifth overall title, putting together another remarkable three-week performance that combined outright dominance with moments of selfless teamwork, including his support of teammate Isaac Del Toro in the fight for the final podium. From breakout stars and unforgettable stages to the biggest talking points of the race, we look back on everything that made this Tour so memorable. And with the men’s race now complete, we take a look ahead to Tour de France Femmes. We preview the riders and stages to watch, the key storylines, and what you can expect from our daily coverage over the coming week. 🎶 Music courtesy of BMG Production Music ______________________________________________________________ EXCLUSIVE 15% off your first SAILY purchase!  Download SAILY in your app store and use our code ‘LoveOfCycling' at checkout. Full details at ⁠https://saily.com/loveofcycling⁠ 🚴 ______________________________________________________________ 🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.  Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ _______________________________________________________________ 🚴‍♂️ Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Muc-Off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code FTLOC20 for 20% off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Richard Carapaz produced a stunning ride to win the Tour de France’s ultimate queen stage on Alpe d’Huez, completing a brilliant final week by taking his second victory of the race and sealing the polka-dot jersey. But the Ecuadorian’s triumph came after a dramatic finale, with Sepp Kuss looking destined for a famous stage win before crashing twice on the descent into the finish and seeing his hopes disappear. We break down a brutal day in the Alps, from the huge 5,600 metres of climbing to the battle for the breakaway, as Kuss, Carapaz, Jai Hindley and others fought for the stage victory on the final climbs. After Kuss’ heartbreak, Carapaz seized the opportunity and powered clear to claim a memorable win on one of the Tour’s most iconic climbs. Mads Pedersen once again showed his trademark panache, fighting his way into the breakaway and securing the points needed to all but seal the green jersey. The Dane’s willingness to attack even on the toughest mountain stages underlined one of the most impressive points-classification rides in recent Tour history. Behind, Tadej Pogačar swapped his usual attacking role for that of super-domestique, setting the pace on the Galibier and the final climbs to protect UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Isaac Del Toro’s third place on GC. The yellow jersey sacrificed his own ambitions of another stage win to help his teammate, creating one of the most fascinating moments of the race. We also discuss Paul Seixas’ superb ride to defend fourth place overall, the French teenager continuing to announce himself as one of cycling’s brightest future stars, while Remco Evenepoel launched a late move in search of victory and strengthened his grip on second place. Ned Boulting and Lizzie Deignan Breakdown Stage 20 of the Tour de France 2026. 🎶 Music courtesy of BMG Production Music ______________________________________________________________ EXCLUSIVE 15% off your first SAILY purchase!  Download SAILY in your app store and use our code ‘LoveOfCycling' at checkout. Full details at https://saily.com/loveofcycling 🚴 ______________________________________________________________ 🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.  Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ _______________________________________________________________ 🚴‍♂️ Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Muc-Off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code FTLOC20 for 20% off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stage 15 of the 2026 Tour de France was another huge day in the mountains, taking the riders 183.9km from Champagnole to Plateau de Solaison with 3,950 metres of climbing. A blockbuster route produced another elite breakaway featuring Ben Healy, Tom Pidcock, Quinn Simmons, Richard Carapaz and, unusually, Adam Yates, who was sent up the road as a satellite rider for Isaac Del Toro. But none of that would become the biggest story of the day. Jonas Vingegaard crashed out of the Tour de France, bringing an abrupt end to one of cycling's greatest rivalries. His withdrawal transforms the fight for the podium, but it also raises fascinating questions about Tadej Pogačar. With his biggest rival no longer in the race, did Pogačar choonot to launch the kind of devastating attack many were expecting? Is that the greatest mark of respect he can give? And could this have been the final Tour de France of one of the defining riders of his generation? Despite the strength of the breakaway, UAE once again brought the race back together. With Del Toro and Pogačar driving the chase, the yellow jersey even sacrificed his own chances to try and deliver a stage victory for his teammate. In the end, it wasn't enough. Remco Evenepoel outsprinted Del Toro and Pogačar to take the stage, leaving us asking another question: have we ever seen the rider in yellow work so selflessly to try and win a stage for a teammate? Elsewhere, Jasper Philipsen reignited the battle for the green jersey by taking maximum points at the intermediate sprint, meaning the battle for green could go all the way. Ned Boulting and David Millar break down Stage 15 of the Tour de France. 🎶 Music courtesy of BMG Production Music ______________________________________________________________ 🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.  Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ _______________________________________________________________ 🚴‍♂️ Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Muc-Off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code FTLOC20 for 20% off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stage 13 of the 2026 Tour de France was a day for the breakaway, with the peloton content to let the move go on a relentlessly fast route that was raced at full gas from start to finish. Despite easing the pressure on the escapees, the speed never relented, making it one of the hardest-fought breakaway stages of the race so far. Tom Pidcock was once again one of the biggest animators of the day. On the stage's biggest climb, he drove the pace at the front of the breakaway, trying to distance Kevin Vauquelin, Tim Wellens and Brandon McNulty. He committed fully to the move, but left his attack just too late and couldn't shake his rivals before the finale. One of the biggest talking points came from behind the leading groups. Mads Pedersen spent a huge amount of energy riding on the front for Lidl-Trek to help bring back the second breakaway, protecting the team's position in the team classification despite wearing the green jersey and needing to save energy to retain it. We also analyse how the stage-winning move finally came together, assess the rides of the top three finishers, and look at how Pidcock's aggressive performance has moved him further up the general classification ahead of another crucial mountain stage. In the second half of the episode, David Millar shares his thoughts on the questions that continue to surround Tadej Pogačar and doping in modern cycling, offering his perspective as someone who has experienced the sport from both sides of its most controversial era. Ned Boulting and David Millar break down Stage 13 of the Tour de France 2026. ______________________________________________________________ 🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.  Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ _______________________________________________________________ 🚴‍♂️ Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Muc-Off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code FTLOC20 for 20% off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

_______________________________________________________________ 🎶 Music courtesy of BMG Production Music Stage 12 of the 2026 Tour de France was always going to be about one thing: the sprint. The 179.1km stage from Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours to Chalon-sur-Saône offered the fast men another opportunity before the race heads back into the mountains, and once again, it was Tim Merlier who came out on top. Merlier claimed his third stage victory of this year's Tour, holding off Olav Kooij and Jasper Philipsen after a dramatic finale that was marred by a late crash. While the general classification remained unchanged, the sprint hierarchy became even clearer: Merlier is proving to be the fastest finisher in France, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s closing in on the green jersey, which still very much remains up for grabs. Ned Boulting and David Millar break down Stage 12 of the Tour de France ______________________________________________________________ 🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.  Find out more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Science In Sport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ _______________________________________________________________ 🚴‍♂️ Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Muc-Off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use code FTLOC20 for 20% off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices