Pogacar beats everyone and takes yellow in stage 3 of the 2026 Tour

Tadej Pogacar is now leading the Tour de France 2026. The Slovenian won the third stage, 195.9 kilometers between Granollers and Les Angles, after a perfectly executed finish by UAE Team Emirates-XRG, capped off with an unstoppable acceleration on the final ramp.

Pogacar wins in Les Angles and takes the yellow jersey from Vingegaard by 72 hundredths

The victory had a double reward. Pogacar not only triumphed ahead of Jonas Vingegaard, Richard Carapaz, and Paul Seixas, but he also became the overall leader. The margin is minimal: he is tied on time with Vingegaard, but the tiebreaker by hundredths in the team time trial favors him by 72 hundredths.

UAE controlled the race again

The stage began with a long battle to form the breakaway. It was not until after many attacks that a large group consolidated with names like Mads Pedersen, Alex Baudin, Nicolas Prodhomme, Vlad Van Mechelen, Louis Vervaeke, Luke Plapp, Mauro Schmid, Magnus Cort, George Bennett, Raul García Pierna, Alex Aranburu, Michael Storer, Mattéo Vercher, and Abel Balderstone.

RECOMENDADO

Departure, expected arrival time, and key points of stage 3 of the Tour de France 2026

2026 Tour de France: The Meaning of Each Jersey and How to Win It

This study supports INEOS's secret to combating heat in the Tour

Why did the UCI ban ice socks in the Tour?

Video with the highlights of the XCO World Cup in La Thuile: the victories of Martina Berta and Luca Martin

Pedersen took advantage of the breakaway to score 25 points in the intermediate sprint and position himself in the fight for the green jersey, but the battle for the stage soon became conditioned by UAE's work from the peloton.

Florian Vermeersch, Tim Wellens, Felix Großschartner, and the rest of the Emirati team always kept the breakaway under control. The signal was clear: Pogacar wanted to contest the stage.

Baudin takes the mountain prize

The most resilient of the breakaway was Alex Baudin. The Frenchman attacked at the decisive part and even dreamed of something more, but ended up being neutralized about 12 kilometers from the finish.

His effort was not in vain. Baudin scored the necessary points to wear the mountain jersey, after being the strongest among the escapees in the climbs of the day.

The day was also marked by restrictions in the French section due to nearby wildfires. The stage was held on the planned route, but without a publicity caravan or authorized spectators in the final part.

Del Toro launches, Pogacar finishes

The arrival at Les Angles was not a major summit, but it was a climb sufficient to establish the hierarchy. The last 7 kilometers rose upwards, and the official final ramp was 1.7 kilometers at 6.5%.

Visma placed Sepp Kuss to set the pace, while Lidl-Trek and Decathlon also tried to position their leaders. But UAE still held the decisive card: Isaac del Toro.

The Mexican, winner the previous day in Barcelona, made the final launch for Pogacar in the last kilometer. Vingegaard tried to follow his wheel, but the Slovenian easily opened a gap and crossed the finish line with several meters of advantage.

Pogacar won by 2 seconds over Vingegaard, Carapaz, and Seixas. Tobias Johannessen, Lennert Van Eetvelt, Florian Lipowitz, Remco Evenepoel, Isaac del Toro, and Juan Ayuso finished 4 seconds behind.

Top 10 stage 3 Tour de France 2026

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) – 4:45:11
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) +2”
3. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) +2”
4. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) +2”
5. Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) +4”
6. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Intermarché) +4”
7. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) +4”
8. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) +4”
9. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +4”
10. Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) +4”

General Tour de France 2026 after stage 3

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) – 8:46:55
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) +0”
3. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) +23”
4. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +24”
5. Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) +27”
6. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) +48”
7. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) +53”
8. Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) +1:09
9. Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) +1:11
10. Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step) +1:17