Tadej Pogačar won Stage 14 of the 2026 Tour de France, covering the 155 kilometres from Mulhouse to Le Markstein Fellering in 4:00:07. Isaac del Toro and Paul Seixas finished 38 seconds behind him. The victory was Pogačar’s 24th Tour de France stage win, extending his lead in the general classification as the race entered its final week.
The best-young-rider contest had already shifted during the race. Juan Ayuso took the white jersey after Stage 10, with Seixas second in the classification, 13 seconds behind. Seixas had finished third on that stage and stood fifth overall, before moving up to fourth in the general classification during the subsequent racing. Isaac del Toro had also worn the white jersey earlier in the Tour, making the contest among the young riders a changing three-way battle.
Stage 15, scheduled for Sunday, 19 July, runs 183.9 kilometres from Champagnole to Plateau de Solaison. Its decisive ascent is 11.3 kilometres long at an average gradient of 9%, is classified hors catégorie and awards 20 points to the first rider over the summit. Earlier, the route includes the Côte de Larringes, listed at 9.7 kilometres with an average gradient of 4.3%.
Isaac del Toro won at Plateau de Solaison, while Seixas finished fourth, 58 seconds behind. Del Toro moved ahead in the young-rider standings, leaving Seixas 25 seconds back in that classification. Seixas remained fourth overall despite losing the white jersey. The stage changed the secondary classification without affecting his place among the overall contenders.
The young riders arrived at the Tour with strong results behind them. Juan Ayuso finished third overall in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the successor to the Critérium du Dauphiné, after taking second place on both mountain stages. Del Toro’s 2026 season included victories at the UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico and Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The developing dynamics of the Tour de France have drawn comparisons with earlier mountain stages, including those covered in recent coverage of dramatic mountain battles and Spanish moves in the race.
The Plateau de Solaison’s sustained gradient made it a major test in the battle for both the stage and the classifications. Del Toro’s win reshaped the white-jersey standings, while Seixas’s fourth-place finish kept him fourth overall. The general classification and the best-young-rider contest remain separate battles, with further changes possible in the remaining mountain stages.
The Tour de France features varied terrain that tests riders’ endurance and ability to recover over three weeks, while tactics also shape the race. The white jersey goes to the leader of the best-young-rider classification, while the yellow jersey identifies the overall race leader. As the peloton approaches the decisive Alpine stages, both classifications remain basic to the contest.
