Tour de France 2026 Stage 19 Preview - Can Tadej Pogacar Win On Alpe d'Huez?

Hello everyone and welcome to another video here on the Cycling Dane Exo channel and we'll continue our 2026 Tour de France coverage and of course do check out the Cycling Dane podcast as well on Spotify. Stage 19 is one of the crown jewels of this year's tour. Although it measures just 128km long, making it one of the shortest road stages of this year's edition, it packs an enormous amount of climbing into a compact route before finishing With the yellow jersey likely still hanging in some sort of balance, this is a stage where legends can be made or where dreams of the Tour de France victory can very quickly disappear. The stage begins in Gap, one of the tour's most frequent host towns, nestled in the Hautes-de-Alpes between the Alps and the Provence. Gap has become synonymous with dramatic racing thanks to its position at the crossroads of countless legendary mountain routes. The town has hosted the Tour de France more than 30 times, often serving as the launch pad for a decisive alpine stage. There is no gentle introduction, almost immediately after the flag drops the riders will tackle the Col Bayard, climbing 4.7km at an average of 7.2%. It is a perfect launch pad for the day's breakaway and with so much climbing still to come, the battle to join the escape is likely to be explosive. Hardly have the riders descended before they face yet another serious challenge. The Col du Noyer rises for 7.2km at an average of 8.5%, making it one of the steepest climbs of the opening alpine stages. Recently reintroduced to the Tour de France, the Col du Noyer has earned a reputation for producing aggressive racing thanks to its constantly steep gradients and spectacular scenery overlooking the Devalais Massif. After the descent, the route briefly relaxes. Several dozen kilometres of gentle, rolling roads allow the riders to recover before the decisive finale begins. The only notable interruption comes at the Lac du Sauter, where the road climbs 2.7km at an average of 6%, but the terrain remains relatively manageable compared to what lies ahead. The final sequence begins with the Col du Hornon, climbing at 5.4km at an average of 6.4%. While not especially difficult on its own, it serves as the final opportunity to soften the legs before one of cycling's greatest descents. From the summit, the riders descend into Bordeaux, a town that has become almost as famous as the climb itself. Every cyclist who has dreamed of conquering Alpe d'Huez knows these roads well, and during the Tour, they become lined with thousands of passionate cycling fans preparing for one of cycling's greatest spectacles. Then comes the climb every cycling fan knows. The ascent of the legendary Alpe d'Huez measures 13.8km at an average gradient of 8.1%, climbing more than 1,100 vertical meters through 21 legendary hairpins. Each switchback is numbered in reverse order, counting down to the summit, and most are dedicated to a previous Tour de France winner or two. The opening 2km are amongst the hardest, immediately pitching into double-digit gradients before settling into a relentless rhythm of around 8%. Few climbs in the world carry the same prestige. Alpe d'Huez first appeared in the Tour de France in 1952, when Italian legend Fausto Coppi became the first rider to win atop the mountain. Since then, it has produced some of the most iconic moments in the race, with victories by Jupp Södermelch, Bernard Hinault, Carlos Sastra, Pierre Rolland, Thibaut Pinot, Gary Thomas, the legend himself, Marco Pantani. And of course, we also did a project here on the Alpe d'Huez where we tried to beat the KOM as well, and showed just how impressive the record of Marco Pantani is, and it will probably stay there forever. The atmosphere on the Alpe d'Huez is unlike anything else in cycling. Hundreds of thousands of spectators crowded the roadside, often camping for days before the race arrives. The famous corners of the Dutch Corner, where thousands of fans dressed in orange transformed the mountainside into a sea of colour and noise, has become one of the defining images of the Tour de France. And equally, the Norwegians and us Danes also have our own corners, and the Brits also bring a lot of energy as well. The most recent edition of the Men's Tour de France finish was in 2022, where it was Tom Pekov who produced a sensational solo ride from the breakaway. After an audacious descent earlier in the stage, and a perfectly judged climb, the young Brit claimed one of the biggest victories of his career on cycling's most iconic mountain. For the general classification, Contenders Stage 19 represents one of the final opportunities to make a decisive move before Paris, and also with Stage 20 in mind. The relatively short distance means that the racing is more likely to be aggressive from the very beginning, similar to what we saw in 2011 where Contador almost attacked from the gun, but Quirolan was the winner on the day. Every climb before Abderweireld serves to weaken the favourites, leaving only the strongest riders to battle it out on the famous ascent. In 2022, it was on Stage 12. This being on Stage 19 changes the aspect of the racing a lot more. Every hairpin presents another opportunity to attack or crack. Riders with explosive accelerations may try to distance their rivals on the steep lower slopes, while those relying on endurance still hope to wear their opponents down through a sustained effort higher up in the mountain. Team tactics will be crucial, with domestiques expected to be emptied themselves long before the decisive moments of the stage, this will definitely be an interesting one. This stage is everything that makes the Tour de France extraordinary. A short, explosive route, multiple alpine climbs, and a finish on the most iconic mountain in cycling. From Faster Copy's inaugural victory in 1952 to Tom Pickock's spectacular solo triumph in 2022, Abderweireld has consistently produced unforgettable moments, and in 2026, the famous 21 hairpins could once again provide a defining chapter in the battle for the yellow jersey. Before we get to the predictions, we might as well hear what Jens Voigt, a man who has ridden the race many times up the Abderweireld, had to say. I mean, this is a climb you know very well. There is four climbs before it, classified climbs, obviously it's all going to be about that final climb. Talk about the 2008 Tour, this is where you guys, we've talked about this before, where I said it was a very weird tactic, and you were like, no, everyone agreed on the team. Obviously, it was Sastre attacking Frank in the yellow jersey, but it seemed like it was all part of the plan for you guys. I mean, the first time it's here since 2022. It's almost 14 kilometers, eight percent, it's up at 1850 meters of elevation, so it's a proper and serious climb. Starts fairly steep, the first roundabout, not roundabout, the first switchbacks, then goes into more steady, so it is a super hard climb, and remember, it's stage 19, so we have, you know, close to 3,000 kilometers in the legs, riders are tired, gap's going to be bigger, but with only 128 kilometers, clearly the GC riders want to have that one for themselves, either to defend the yellow, to attack the yellow, or whatever, to fight for position three, four, to fight for top ten, so I believe this one clearly will be controlled by some strong teams, or one strong team, and it will be the big favorites battling it out amongst them. But before we get to predictions, make sure to check out the video on the Cycling Dane action channel, where I tried to cycle up the mountain and deliver a pizza before it got cold. But in terms of predictions, obviously there is one name, Tadwy Gatwick, he had a famous duel with Jonas Wingo in 2022, and didn't manage to get rid of the Dane, but potentially we will see him trying to win up this mountain, this is one of the famous mountains that he hasn't yet tasted success on, so maybe he will want to do that exactly. He is on cracking form, he's got the best team, he's wearing it down, everyone, and with no Jonas Wingo in the race, this is an opportune moment for him to take the victory once again, and add another incredible chapter to his legacy. But, will he do it, or will it maybe be a breakaway, Carapaz could maybe try and get up the road as well, but it's going to be a hard stage to win, and somebody is going to get their name on one of the hairpins. But anyways, with that, that's basically it for this video, make sure to hit the like button, subscribe to the channel if you haven't already, and comment down below who you think will win this stage, and do check out that video with me trying to deliver a pizza on Alpe d'Huez, or equally where a friend of the channel tried to beat the KOM on Alpe d'Huez. So, with that, that's basically it, thank you for watching, and I will see you in the next one.