Tour de France: Tadej Pogacar dominates at Les Angles; the rules also award him the yellow jersey

After an uneventful team time trial and a second stage “handed” to teammate Isaac Del Toro, Tadej Pogacar asserted his dominance in the third stage of the 2026 Tour de France, from Granollers (Spain) to Les Angles, the first finish on French soil in this edition. The Slovenian, supported by UAE Team Emirates XRG on a stage marked by several challenging climbs, accelerated in the final 500 meters to claim not only the stage victory but also the yellow jersey, taking it from Jonas Vingegaard.

The Dane from Team Visma Lease-a-Bike, who finished second, lost two seconds at the finish line and another four in time bonuses, allowing Pogacar to catch up to him in the overall standings. The rules, in the event of a tie in overall time, prioritize stage placings, which is why Pogacar was able to wear the leader’s jersey on the podium.

As for the main peloton, Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) and the young French talent Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) put in strong performances, finishing third and fourth, respectively, with the same time as Vingegaard. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) also did well, finishing eighth and sitting third in the general classification, 23″ behind the leading duo.

Davide Piganzoli, Vingegaard’s teammate, remains the top Italian rider: finishing 21st, 33 seconds behind today’s winner; the rider from Morbegno is 15th in the general classification, 2’15” behind the yellow jersey. Tuesday brings the fourth stage, from Carcassonne to Foix, a hilly 181.9-kilometer leg.