Tadej Pogačar won stage 4 of the 2026 Tour de Suisse in Aarburg, denying Mathieu van der Poel by just 0.3 seconds in a blistering 23.7-kilometre individual time-trial. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider completed the course in 26:37, averaging more than 53km/h, and extended his overall lead before the final mountain stage.
Van der Poel had looked set for a remarkable stage victory after setting a time of 26:38 for Alpecin-Premier Tech, but Pogačar overturned that by the narrowest of margins in the final kilometres. Tobias Foss finished third for Netcompany INEOS at 7 seconds, with Mathias Vacek fourth at 11 seconds and Tim Wellens fifth at 13 seconds after another strong UAE Team Emirates-XRG ride.
The general classification now looks even more secure for Pogačar. He leads Richard Carapaz by 4:22, with Vacek moving onto the podium at 4:27. After blowing the race apart on stage 1, nearly chasing down the break on stage 2 and enjoying a quieter stage 3, Pogačar used the time-trial to tighten his grip on the race.
Aarburg course sets up a fast test
The fourth stage was a 23.7-kilometre individual time-trial around Aarburg, held on a very hot day with temperatures reaching 34 degrees Celsius on course. The route featured an intermediate checkpoint roughly halfway through on Wolfwilerstrasse, with a technical final kilometre that gave the late starters one last challenge before the finish.
This was the penultimate stage of the race, and with only the final mountain stage remaining, the time-trial had the potential to reshape the podium behind Pogačar. The Slovenian already had a commanding advantage after his long-range stage 1 win in Sondrio, but Carapaz, Andrea Bagioli, Vacek and others still had plenty at stake in the battle behind.
Marco Brenner was the first rider down the ramp and set the opening benchmark, passing the split in 13:19 before reaching the finish in 28:19. It did not last long once the stronger time-triallists began their rides, but it gave the early part of the stage its first reference point.
Artur Kluckers was the first to make a major improvement, going 26 seconds faster than Brenner at the split and then setting 27:42 at the finish, 38 seconds quicker than his Tudor teammate. The stage was beginning to move quickly, and the real contenders were still to come.
Early benchmarks fall quickly
Sjoerd Bax and Emil Herzog both produced strong intermediate times, before Xabier Azparren briefly set the fastest finish in 27:29. Nils Politt then raised the standard for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, passing the split in 12:45 and finishing in 27:21, 8 seconds faster than Azparren.
Alec Segaert looked like a serious threat when he went 9 seconds faster than Politt at the split, but he missed out on the best finish time by just 0.07 seconds. It was the first hint that the stage would come down to very small margins, even if the final result would make that clearer still.
Tim Wellens then delivered a major ride. The former Belgian time-trial champion set 12:27 at the intermediate checkpoint, 9 seconds quicker than Segaert, and reached the finish in 26:50. That was the first time that looked genuinely stage-winning, and it gave UAE Team Emirates-XRG another rider high on the leaderboard.
Mauro Schmid also rode well, moving into second at the finish for a spell, while Magnus Cort and other strong rouleurs came through without dislodging Wellens. The stage was now waiting for the biggest names.
Van der Poel takes over
Mathieu van der Poel was one of the most intriguing starters of the day. He was not the obvious time-trial favourite in a field containing specialists and GC contenders, but the course suited his power and handling, especially with its fast sections and technical finish.
He showed his intent immediately. At the intermediate checkpoint, Van der Poel set 12:16, 11 seconds faster than Wellens. He had also passed Louis Vervaeke out on course, a visual sign of just how quickly he was moving.
The final kilometre was tight enough to keep the result uncertain, but Van der Poel carried his speed all the way to the line. He stopped the clock at 26:38, 12 seconds faster than Wellens, taking over the hot seat with a time that suddenly looked very difficult to beat.
Behind him, several strong riders came close without threatening the lead. Antonio Tiberi finished 47 seconds down, Fred Wright produced a strong ride at 37 seconds, and Finn Fisher-Black came in 36 seconds behind Van der Poel. The Dutchman still had the fastest time, and only the final wave of GC riders looked capable of changing the result.
Vacek and Foss threaten the podium
As the top GC riders began, the leaderboard shifted again. Sander De Pestel produced an impressive ride for Decathlon CMA CGM, going well at the split and finishing 27 seconds down on Van der Poel. Felix Großschartner also looked strong for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, passing the checkpoint only 8 seconds behind the Dutchman before later finishing inside the top 10.
Tobias Foss then showed why he was one of the key names to watch. The former world time-trial champion and current Norwegian champion started late and reached the time check 11 seconds down, still close enough for a top result. At the finish, he crossed just 6 seconds behind Van der Poel, moving into second at that point.
Vacek was even better through the intermediate split. The Lidl-Trek rider set 12:12, 4 seconds faster than Van der Poel and briefly the best time at the checkpoint. He also flew past his minute man Finlay Pickering, underlining the strength of his ride.
The Czech rider eventually finished 10 seconds down on Van der Poel, which would become 11 seconds behind Pogačar once the stage was complete. It was still an excellent performance and enough to lift him onto the GC podium.
Photo Credit: GettyPogačar catches Carapaz and snatches the stage
Pogačar rolled down the ramp as the final starter, with the stage win still on the line and the overall race already heavily tilted in his favour. The question was whether he could match Van der Poel’s time, especially on a course that did not look like the most obvious route for another dominant Pogačar display.
At the intermediate split, he gave the first answer. Pogačar went through in 12:12, just 0.7 seconds faster than Vacek and marginally ahead of Van der Poel’s earlier benchmark. That kept the stage alive, but it did not make the win certain.
Behind him on the road, Carapaz and Bagioli were both losing significant time. Carapaz was 49 seconds down at the split, Bagioli 57 seconds down, and Pogačar then caught and passed Carapaz before the finish. It was a brutal image of the GC balance: the race leader overtaking the rider who had started the day second overall.
The final kilometre looked tight. Pogačar reached the flamme rouge with only just over a minute to complete a technical run-in, and for a moment it appeared as though he might finish second on the stage. Instead, he squeezed every last fraction from the course, crossed the line in 26:37 and beat Van der Poel by 0.3 seconds.
Pogačar stretches his overall lead
The stage result gave Pogačar another win and added more time to his overall advantage. Carapaz finished 1:32 down, while Bagioli lost 1:39, further stretching the gaps behind the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader.
The top 10 on the stage underlined both the speed of the ride and UAE’s depth. Pogačar won in 26:37, Van der Poel was second at 1 second, Foss third at 7 seconds, Vacek fourth at 11 seconds and Wellens fifth at 13 seconds. Großschartner finished sixth at 28 seconds, tied with De Pestel, while Schmid was eighth at 30 seconds, Brandon McNulty ninth at 32 seconds and Fisher-Black tenth at 37 seconds.
In the general classification, Pogačar now leads Carapaz by 4:22. Vacek moves into third at 4:27, giving Lidl-Trek a podium position before the final stage. With one day left, the yellow jersey is firmly in Pogačar’s hands.
Carapaz remains second, but the time-trial reduced his room for error. Vacek is now only 5 seconds behind him, and the final mountain stage could still decide the lower podium places even if the overall victory looks close to settled.
Photo Credit: GettyVan der Poel narrowly denied
Van der Poel’s ride was one of the stories of the day despite missing the victory by less than half a second. He had set the fastest time by a significant margin when he reached the line, and for a long period it seemed enough to win the stage.
The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider showed his ability to turn a technical, power-based time-trial into a genuine stage-winning opportunity. His 26:38 beat several established time-trial specialists and GC riders, and only Pogačar could dislodge him.
Foss also confirmed strong condition with third, while Vacek’s fourth place carried major GC value. Wellens and Großschartner gave UAE two more riders in the top six, and McNulty also finished inside the top 10, making the day another demonstration of the team’s strength against the clock.
For the rest of the GC field, the time-trial was mostly about limiting damage. Roglič finished 38 seconds down on Van der Poel, while Carapaz and Bagioli both lost far more to Pogačar. The stage tightened the battle behind yellow, even as it made the lead itself more secure.
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Photo Credit: Getty
One mountain stage left
The Tour de Suisse has now been shaped by four very different stages. Pogačar destroyed the field with a long-range attack on stage 1, Grégoire won from a break on stage 2, Narváez escaped with Meurisse on stage 3, and Pogačar returned to the top step in the stage 4 time-trial.
The final mountain stage still gives the race one more test, but Pogačar’s advantage is now huge. He has shown he can attack from distance, chase when required, stay safe when a teammate is up the road, and win against the clock by the smallest possible margin.
The fight behind him remains more open. Carapaz holds second, but Vacek is only 5 seconds away, and the rest of the top 10 will still have a difficult mountain day to defend. The stage win in Aarburg did not create the same spectacular time gaps as stage 1, but it added another layer to Pogačar’s control.
For Van der Poel, it was almost a famous time-trial win. For Pogačar, it was another reminder that even on a day where he looked beatable until the line, he still found the fraction of a second needed to win.
Tour de Suisse 2026 stage 4 result
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Main photo credit: Getty
