In a dominant display of climbing prowess that further cemented his status as the overwhelming favorite to claim this year’s yellow jersey, Slovenian cycling star Tadej Pogačar notched up his 24th career Tour de France stage victory on Tuesday, outperforming all of his top rivals to extend his overall general classification lead at the 2025 edition of the race.
The race traveled through the mountainous terrain of the French Alps on Tuesday, with the 10th stage culminating in a grueling test of endurance centered on the Col de Pertus, the second-to-last major climb of the day. Pogačar, who had already shaken the confidence of his closest competitors with a sensational win on the iconic Col du Tourmalet just four days prior, launched a decisive attacking break more than 900 meters out from the Col de Pertus summit.
Jonas Vingegaard, Pogačar’s nearest rival in the overall standings, was unable to match the Slovenian’s explosive acceleration. Pogačar quickly closed the gap to early breakaway leader Richard Carapaz, surging past the Ecuadorian rider just 200 meters shy of the summit and holding his pace all the way to the finish line. Carapaz crossed the summit 5 seconds behind Pogačar, while Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, Florian Lipowitz, Juan Ayuso and Paul Seixas all finished 18 seconds adrift of Pogačar at the top of the climb.
When the riders crossed the stage finish line, Pogačar held a 32-second advantage over second-place Evenepoel. Tuesday’s win marked Pogačar’s third stage victory at this year’s Tour de France, his third Bastille Day stage win on France’s national holiday, and the 24th Tour de France stage win of his already legendary career. Local favorite Paul Seixas, the top hope for French cycling fans, rounded out the top three, finishing 34 seconds behind Pogačar.
Vingegaard, the 2022 and 2023 Tour champion, crossed the line 44 seconds slower than Pogačar on the day. That result pushed Pogačar’s overall lead after 10 stages out to an unassailable 3 minutes and 36 seconds over his Danish rival. For the four-time Tour champion, this gap marks the largest overall lead he has ever held at this point in any edition of the race, underscoring his near-perfect form so far in 2025.