Pogacar seeks record-equalling fifth Tour title as Vingegaard and Seixas challenge

BARCELONA, Spain, July 1 : Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar will chase a record-equalling fifth Tour de France title when the 2026 edition begins in Barcelona, Spain, on Saturday, with Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard and France's Paul Seixas poised to provide the stiffest competition.

Pogacar, who has won the last two editions, aims to join greats Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain and Eddy Merckx on five Tour victories.

The 27-year-old has never competed less than this season before entering the Tour, in which he will take part for the seventh time. He has a total of 13 stage or general classification wins in 16 days of racing, including a maiden Milan-San Remo title, a third Tour of Flanders, a fourth Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Strade Bianche and, more recently, the Tour de Romandie and the Tour de Suisse.

"The Tour de France is always the biggest challenge of the season and also the race that motivates us the most," Pogacar said. "Every year, you arrive at the start knowing that anything can happen over three weeks, and that’s what makes it so special."

"I feel good, I’m looking forward to racing, and I know I’ll have a fantastic group of teammates and staff around me."

VINGEGAARD AIMS FOR GIRO-TOUR DOUBLE

The world champion, who admitted struggling with knee issues during last year's race and considered withdrawing, will be supported by a formidable team including Mexico's Isaac del Toro, winner of the recent Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, and Britain's Adam Yates, a third-place finisher in 2023.

Pogacar's main rival will once again be Vingegaard. The Dane seems close to the form that allowed him to win the world's most prestigious cycling race in 2022 and 2023.

The Visma-Lease a Bike rider has won all three of his 2026