Back in 2020, when Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) lined up for his first Tour de France and went straight to the top step of the overall podium, the then 21-year-old covered the 3,482km journey from Nice to Paris in 87 hours, delivering an average of 39.868 km/h.
Snap forward to 2026, and the Slovenian talisman has upped the ante once again, delivering an average that exceeds 43 km/h for the first time, 43.227 to be exact, according to a report from Tissot timing. It's a final speed that is almost half a kilometre faster than the pace of 42.728km/h in 2025, which was the quickest Tour de France on record until Sunday.
