2 min read- Today’s 127.9 km mountain stage from Gap to Alpe d’Huez featured nearly 11,500 feet of elevation gain and a summit finish following the 21 switchbacks of the iconic Alpe d’Huez climb.
- Bicycling’s expert staff discusses an important subtext of the final days of the 2026 men’s Tour de France: Cycling when sick and knowing when not to ride.
- The big takeaway for everyday riders is that sometimes, you need to call it a day and not ride your bike, even when it’s a big ride you had planned or at a riding destination.
Watch to see how Bicycling’s expert staff discuss the illness sweeping through Tadej Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad that forced the abandonment of the Tour de France leader’s key domestiques. The lesson for everyday riders is knowing when not to ride your bike, as well as some of the signs and symptoms that should influence your decision.
Crowds packed the switchbacks of Alpe d’Huez, often swarming riders.
Pogačar set a new fastest time (35 minutes and 27 seconds) up the legendary switchbacks of Alpe d’Huez, besting Marco Pantani’s famous record. After catching the breakaway group that included stage 18 winner Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Frenchman Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious), and American Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike), Pogi claimed a six-second win on the stage.
Pogačar remains in the overall lead of the Tour, further adding to his advantage over Belgian Remco Evenepoel. For their efforts on stage 19, Carapaz took control of the polka dot climber’s jersey, and Martinez moved up two spots in the General Classification to fifth place.
Stage 19 Podium
🥇 Tadej Pogačar 3h 15m 57s
🥈 Lenny Martinez +6s
🥉 Richard Carapaz +7s
GC After Stage 19
1. Tadej Pogačar
2. Remco Evenepoel +7m 11s
3. Isaac Del Toro +9m 42s
4. Paul Seixas +10m 06s
5. Lenny Martinez +13m 00s
As Deputy Editor, Tara Seplavy leads Bicycling’s product test team; after having previously led product development and sourcing for multiple bike brands, run World Championship winning mountain bike teams, wrenched at renowned bicycle shops in Brooklyn, raced everything from criteriums to downhill, and ridden bikes on six different continents (landing herself in hospital emergency rooms in four countries and counting). Based in Easton, Pennsylvania, Tara spends tons of time on the road and trail testing products. A familiar face at cyclocross races, crits, and bike parks in the Mid Atlantic and New England, on weekends she can often be found racing for the New York City-based CRCA/KruisCX team. When not riding a bike, or talking about them, Tara listens to a lot of ska, punk, and emo music, and consumes too much social media.
Molly writes about cycling, nutrition and training with an emphasis on bringing more women into sport. She’s the author of nine books including the Shred Girls series and is the founder of Strong Girl Publishing. She co-hosts The Consummate Athlete Podcast and spends most of her free time biking and running on trails, occasionally joined by her mini-dachshund.