Tour de France 2026 Stage 3 results from  Granollers  ›  Les Angles (195.9km) at the bottom – Full report is coming soon – stay tuned for pics, video highlights and more. – Pez

If anyone thought the Tour might settle down after an explosive opening weekend, they haven’t been paying attention.

 

Stage 3 took the peloton into the foothills of the Pyrenees and delivered the first real mountain examination of the 2026 Tour. It wasn’t one of the legendary giants, but with nearly 4,000 metres of climbing and a sting-in-the-tail finish at Les Angles, everyone knew this would be the first genuine showdown between the men chasing Yellow.

And when the dust finally settled, it was Tadej Pogačar who landed the first big punch.

The World Champion exploded away on the final climb to claim his first stage win of this year’s Tour, while also taking over the Yellow Jersey from Jonas Vingegaard. Technically, the two rivals are now tied on time, but Pogačar moves into the race lead on countback—and perhaps more importantly, sends a clear message that UAE Team Emirates-XRG have every intention of controlling this Tour.

The heatwave in Europe continues with temps in the high 30’s, staying cool is a major part of the race -> ice vests and lots of water.

Fire, Heat and Chaos

Before the racing even began, the Tour faced an unexpected challenge.

Serious wildfires burning just 70 kilometres from the finish forced French authorities to close the final kilometres of the stage to spectators. Even the famous publicity caravan was cancelled for the closing section as organisers prioritised rider and public safety.

Didi the Devil – geez I thought we’d lost him for good – but here he is!

It made for an eerily quiet finale, but the racing itself was anything but subdued.

From the flag drop in Granollers, riders attacked relentlessly.

Quinn Simmons, Mads Pedersen, Jonas Abrahamsen, Mathieu van der Poel and even Richard Carapaz all threw themselves off the front, but nothing was allowed to stick. The pace was so savage that the peloton was already splintering before the day’s main climbs had even begun.

Among the early casualties was the still-recovering Arnaud De Lie – who sadly abandoned due to illness, while a sizeable crash involving around twenty riders further complicated the opening hour.

Finally, The Break Goes

After nearly 70 kilometres of constant attacks, the elastic finally snapped.

An impressive eighteen-man move finally escaped, featuring an all-star collection of opportunists including Mads Pedersen, Michael Storer, Luke Plapp, Magnus Cort, George Bennett, Alex Baudin, Harold Tejada and several others.

Even Egan Bernal looked set to make the move before an untimely puncture ruined his chances.

The break quickly gained two minutes, and with Visma | Lease a Bike content to defend Vingegaard’s yellow jersey rather than chase stage honours, it briefly looked as though the escapees might have their day.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG had other ideas.

Oh, those French!  Even the patriotic roadside mannequins aren’t afraid to let it all out.

UAE Turns the Screws

Once the intermediate sprint had been safely contested—where Pedersen grabbed maximum points to move into the Green Jersey competition—the pace in the peloton suddenly changed.

UAE moved to the front.

The acceleration was immediate and brutal.

By the slopes of the Col de Toses, the breakaway was already beginning to disintegrate while the bunch was shedding riders at an alarming rate.

Pedersen’s day quickly shifted from chasing stage glory to survival mode.

Behind him, the damage was even greater.

Mathieu van der Poel was among the first marquee names to lose contact, while proven climbers including Ben Healy and Romain Grégoire also slipped backwards as UAE’s relentless tempo continued to thin the field.

Alex Baudin took home the Polka Dot KOM jersey for his efforts.

The Last Survivors

At the front, six riders remained, with Frenchmen Alex Baudin and Nicolas Prodhomme proving strongest.

Baudin secured enough mountain points to move into the polka-dot jersey, but his hopes of a stage victory evaporated rapidly as the favourites bore down behind.

Prodhomme was caught first.

Baudin fought on alone.

With eleven kilometres remaining, his brave escape was finally over.

The Tour was about to become a race between the men everyone had come to see.

Del Toro Delivers. Pogačar Finishes.

Visma | Lease a Bike briefly assumed control as Matteo Jorgenson lined things out for Vingegaard approaching the final climb.

Then UAE revealed its masterstroke.

Rather than launching an early attack himself, Pogačar watched teammate Isaac Del Toro produce another astonishing ride.

Just two days after winning in Barcelona, the young Mexican buried himself with a devastating lead-out that effectively eliminated any thoughts of attacking. The pace alone was enough to discourage everyone else.

When Del Toro finally swung aside, Pogačar did what only Pogačar seems capable of doing.

One explosive acceleration.

One decisive gap.

Race over.

Look at the gap back to Vingegaard… impressive… and scary.

Vingegaard simply couldn’t match the World Champion’s punch, while Richard Carapaz battled home for an impressive third ahead of Paul Seixas and Tobias Halland Johannessen. Remco Evenepoel never quite found the acceleration he needed and crossed the line in eighth.

Advantage Pogačar… Just

Pogačar’s reward was a stage victory and the Yellow Jersey, although only just.

He and Vingegaard remain tied on overall time after three stages, with the Slovenian leading only on countback.

If the opening three days have taught us anything, however, it’s that this Tour is already shaping into another heavyweight duel between cycling’s two biggest stars.

Only this time, Pogačar has a new weapon.

His name is Isaac Del Toro.

And judging by the first three stages, the rest of the peloton may have two UAE leaders to worry about before this Tour reaches Paris.

 

 

 

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