Le Marcstein (France) (AFP) – Tadej Pogačar took his fourth stage win of the 2026 Tour de France this Saturday in Le Markstein, taking another step towards his fifth Tour, with interest in the race for the podium fully heightened after a superb performance from young Frenchman Paul Seixas.
First modification: 07/18/2026 – 19:40
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Unattainable, untouchable, irreconcilable, the Slovenian sometimes even seems indifferent to his repeated successes.
But this Saturday I was elated after a colorful day in the Vosges that delivered on all its promises, with an interesting route, an uneventful port, The Hague, a large audience and heavy downpours that gave the canvas more drama.
“Today I want to thank all the fans who were on the side of the road, it was unforgettable. I’ve never seen anything like it,” said the four-time Tour winner after winning solo by 38 seconds over teammate Isaac Del Toro and Paul Seixas, followed by Jonas Vingegaard.
Two victories in the Pyrenees, one in the Massif Central and one in the Vosges: the UAE leader continues to sweep away even before entering the Alps on Sunday, where his conditions match the very difficult final climb to the Plateau de Solezon.
“I love this climb,” warned the two-time world champion, who achieved success in Le Markstein by attacking the final part of the Col du Haag, 7.5 km from the finish, on the most difficult slopes of this old forest road turned cycle path.
Once again no one managed to follow him, but behind him the spectacle was complete.
Ayuso loses his white jersey
Vingegaard, who had led several teammates into the lead without success, in turn accelerated to try to limit the damage.
But the Dane, second overall, was caught just before the top by Seixas, who was released to open the curtain on him for the crowd, and Del Toro, who looked for long to have struggled before finishing like a rocket to offer the UAE a double.
“I knew Isaac wasn’t 100% ready, the last two kilometers I waited to see if anyone would move. I felt good, the audience gave me wings and I took advantage of this opportunity,” Pogačar explained.
Behind the top four, Remco Evenepoel, Juan Ayuso and Florian Lipowitz, at times on the verge of fainting, held on with all their might to continue the fight for the podium, which looked tense until the very end.
And Paul Seixas seems more convinced than ever of his abilities after a new display of strength that is absolutely impressive for a rider his age, 19, whose mere participation in the Tour is already a feat.
He was particularly impressive in the closing stages, when he broke away from a small group to catch Vingegaard and take a new third place behind Lioran on stage ten.
French Decathlon CMA CGM rider Paul Seixas celebrates on the podium with his white jersey as the best young man of the Tour after stage 14 in Le Markstein, July 18, 2026. © Loic VENANCE / AFP
At the same time, when he climbed to fourth place overall, he was awarded the white jersey of the best young man, to the detriment of the Spaniard Juan Ayuso, and his first official podium in the Tour de France, which of course would not be the last.
“Champion”
“He is already a champion and a true leader, the public adores him, he is the next great hope of France. Protect him and he will shine,” Pogačar praised him.
“It was incredible, incredibly hard, very nice to wear that white jersey and continue to fight for the podium,” reacted the Decathlon CMA CGM rider, who also enjoys climbing the Plateau de Solezon, close to his grandparents’ home.
If Saturday’s finish was brilliant, the rest of the stage was also exciting, with a six-rider breakaway paving the way for the Grand Ballon, Col du Page and Ballon d’Alsace.
Among them, French climber Valentin Pare-Paintre led three passes and temporarily took the lead in the mountain classification before Pogacar took it from him on the climb to Haag.
Ecuadorian runner EF Education – EasyPost Richard Carapaz on stage 14 of the Tour de France at 155.3 between Mulhouse and Le Markstein, July 8, 2026. © Loic VENANCE / AFP
Another of them was Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz, who was chosen as the fighting runner of the day.
The Slovenian leaves little for the others on this tour. But there are still reasons for excitement, and two examples are the fight for the podium and the youth classification.
© 2026 AFP