Pogacar Gifts Stage Win to Lieutenant Del Toro in Vingegaard's Yellow Jersey Defense

In a dramatic finale on the heights of Montjuic in Barcelona, Mexican rider Isaac del Toro of UAE Emirates claimed his maiden Tour de France stage victory. The win came as his team leader, Tadej Pogacar, tactically maneuvered to allow del Toro to cross the line first, celebrating together as they finished.

While the main contenders battled for the stage win, Jonas Vingegaard, the current yellow jersey holder, finished fourth, just behind del Toro and Remco Evenepoel. This result allowed Vingegaard to defend his overall lead, though his margin over Pogacar was cut from 12 to six seconds. Evenepoel remains in third place, 15 seconds adrift of Vingegaard.

The stage began with a relatively flat first half, featuring a breakaway group including Felix Engelhardt, Alex Molenaar, and Frank van den Broek. The peloton, with Vingegaard's Visma team controlling the pace, kept the escapees within reach. The race ignited on the final 30 kilometers, which included three ascents of the Montjuic climb, a 1.6-kilometer ascent with an average gradient of 8.7 percent.

Tadej Pogacar's teammate Brandon McNulty set a strong tempo on the first pass of the climb, causing riders to drop off. Despite attacks on the final ascent, including one from Mattias Skjelmose, it was del Toro who ultimately prevailed in the sprint, aided by Pogacar's strategic support.