The 3rd stage of the 2026 Tour de France concluded late on July 6 (Beijing Time). Starting in Granollers, Spain, this stage crossed the France-Spain border and finished in Les Angles, a French ski resort. Covering a total distance of 195.9 kilometres with roughly 3,850 metres of cumulative climbing, it marked the race’s first genuine mountain test of this edition.
After nearly five hours of gruelling racing, Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates-XRG launched a decisive attack in the final 200 metres of the finish climb, shaking off long-time rival Jonas Vingegaard to claim his first stage victory of this year’s Tour. Thanks to time bonuses and superior stage rankings, he seized the yellow jersey for the overall classification leader from Vingegaard.
Stage 3: Tour’s First Mountain Block – Sweltering Temperatures & Wildfires Dominate Headlines
As the opening mountain stage of the competition, Stage 3 linked Granollers in Spain to Les Angles in France, spanning 195.9 kilometres with multiple categorised climbs en route and a finishing uphill ramp at the Les Angles ski resort.
Temperatures soared above 35°C across the Catalan region on race day, drastically ramping up the physical strain for all riders. Compounding the harsh conditions, severe wildfires broke out in the eastern French Pyrenees. Race organiser ASO took extraordinary measures: the final 40 kilometres of the route were closed to spectators, promotional publicity vehicles were removed, and only race staff and emergency response vehicles were permitted access to support firefighting operations.
Alex Baudin’s Long-Range Breakaway Earns Him the Polka Dot Jersey
Multiple riders attacked from the start of the day. Alex Baudin of EF Education-EasyPost successfully made it into the leading breakaway group and crested two Category 3 climbs first, racking up enough mountain classification points.
Though the breakaway was caught by the main peloton shortly before the finish, Baudin’s relentless attacking throughout the day secured him the polka dot jersey for the King of the Mountains, much to the delight of French fans.
UAE Seizes Full Control of Race Tempo
The race pace ramped up dramatically with 60 kilometres remaining.
As the breakaway’s advantage steadily dwindled, UAE Team Emirates-XRG moved to the front of the main peloton to set the pace.
Once the race hit the final series of successive climbs, UAE cranked up the speed, whittling down most support riders and leaving only the top general classification contenders to battle it out head-to-head.
Following his stage 2 victory with teammate Isaac del Toro, the Mexican young star delivered another stellar shift on this day, putting in a high-quality pull in the final kilometres to craft the perfect launch pad for Pogačar’s decisive sprint.
Pogačar Delivers Killer Blow in the Final 200 Metres
The race hit the uphill finish into Les Angles. Vingegaard stuck rigidly to Pogačar’s wheel, with the two pre-race favourites riding wheel-to-wheel for hundreds of metres.
Del Toro wrapped up his final lead-out turn and dropped out of contention in the closing metres, at which point Pogačar unleashed a blistering acceleration.
Vingegaard could not respond to the explosive surge and watched helplessly as Pogačar crossed the finish line first.
Stage Top Results
1.Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
2.Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike), +2 seconds
3.Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost)
4.Paul Seixas (DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM)
Yellow Jersey Changes Hands: Pogačar Tops General Classification
Thanks to time bonuses from his stage win, Pogačar erased the time deficit he held against Vingegaard.
Official general classification standings show the two riders tied on identical total elapsed time, yet Pogačar claimed the yellow jersey for the first time this Tour by virtue of better cumulative stage placings.
Post-race quotes from Tadej Pogačar:
“Isaac put in an incredible shift once again today, laying the groundwork for my victory. This win belongs to the entire UAE squad.”
Four Classification Jerseys After Stage 3
- General Classification Yellow Jersey: Tadej Pogačar
- Points Classification Green Jersey: Isaac del Toro
- Mountains Classification Polka Dot Jersey: Alex Baudin
- Best Young Rider White Jersey: Isaac del Toro
Race Analysis: UAE Takes Early Command of the Race
Only three stages into the Tour de France, UAE Team Emirates-XRG has claimed stage victories on back-to-back days: Isaac del Toro triumphed on Stage 2, before Pogačar’s dominant stage win and yellow jersey takeover on Stage 3.
While Visma | Lease a Bike delivered a strong showing in the opening team time trial, UAE has demonstrated superior climbing prowess, coordinated team work and polished finish lead-out organisation now that the race has moved into mountain terrain. Consistent elite efforts from support riders including Isaac del Toro and Adam Yates over two consecutive days have allowed Pogačar to conserve energy and enter the final climbs in peak condition.
As the Tour ventures deeper into French territory, the Pyrenean mountain ranges and persistent extreme heat will continue to test every general classification squad. Though Pogačar now wears the yellow jersey, Vingegaard trails by a negligible margin, promising an ever-intensifying battle for the overall Tour de France title.
