Pogacar stage 3 win delivers yellow in Les Angles
Pogacar stage 3 victory put Tadej Pogačar into the yellow jersey as the 2026 Tour de France reached the Pyrenees.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider won the uphill finish in Les Angles after a tense finale among the overall contenders. Jonas Vingegaard finished second for Visma | Lease a Bike, with Richard Carapaz third for EF Education-EasyPost.
Pogačar launched his sprint with around 200 metres remaining on the category 3 climb to the line. No rival matched his acceleration, and he secured his 22nd Tour de France stage victory.
The time bonus, plus a two-second gap over Vingegaard at the finish, moved Pogačar into yellow ahead of the Dane.
Breakaway threat fades before GC sprint
Stage 3 began in Granollers in intense heat, with wildfire danger affecting the route. Organisers banned spectators from the final 40 kilometres, although fans still lined parts of the finish area.
The racing became difficult almost immediately. Arnaud De Lie of Lotto Intermarché lost contact with 183 kilometres remaining. Two kilometres later, a peloton crash involved Bruno Armirail and Matthew Riccitello among others.
The early fight for the breakaway featured several notable names, including Egan Bernal, Carapaz and Quinn Simmons. After repeated moves, a group finally went clear with 136 kilometres left.
Magnus Cort, Nelson Oliveira, Mattéo Vercher and Louis Vervaeke opened the move. George Bennett, Mads Pedersen, Luke Plapp and Mauro Schmid then joined them.
An 11-rider chase bridged across with 123 kilometres remaining. That counter included Bernal, Alex Aranburu, Abel Balderstone, Alex Baudin, Clément Braz Afonso, Joris Delbove, Raul García Pierna, Nicolas Prodhomme, Michael Storer, Harold Tejada and Vlad Van Mechelen.
Bernal’s time in the escape ended after a puncture sent the Colombian champion back to the bunch. The remaining move settled ahead as the peloton briefly eased.
Pedersen took the maximum 25 points at the intermediate sprint with 97 kilometres to race. His result continued his bid to complete points classification victories at all three Grand Tours.
UAE and Visma control the first category 1 climb
The break never gained the freedom needed to decide the stage. UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Visma | Lease a Bike kept the margin below two minutes before the Col de Toses.
The category 1 climb, the first of that rank in the 2026 Tour, reduced the escape sharply. Baudin, Bennett, García Pierna, Prodhomme, Van Mechelen and Vercher crossed the summit with about 1:30 remaining.
UAE continued to drive the chase behind. On the lower slopes of the Col du Calvaire, Baudin attacked from the break with 34 kilometres left. Prodhomme joined him briefly, but the move soon came down to Baudin alone.
Baudin crested the Col du Calvaire solo with 23 kilometres remaining after Prodhomme sat up. His ride still brought a major reward, as he secured the polka-dot jersey.
The French rider could not resist the peloton’s pressure. UAE’s steady pursuit brought him back with 11.5 kilometres to go, setting up a GC fight in Les Angles.
Inside the final three kilometres, the battle for position intensified. The classified finish began with 1.7 kilometres remaining, and the strongest overall contenders held the front.
Isaac del Toro led under the flamme rouge for UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Pogačar sat on the Mexican champion’s wheel, with Vingegaard positioned just behind.
When Pogačar opened his sprint, the race changed instantly. Vingegaard limited the damage, but the Slovenian’s kick delivered the stage, the bonus seconds and the race lead.