Pogacar Claims Yellow Jersey with Stage 3 Victory in Intense Heat

Tadej Pogacar won stage three of the Tour de France in sweltering heat, claiming the yellow jersey after a late attack. The race faced wildfires and extreme temperatures, while Belgium’s Arnaud de Lie abandoned due to illness.

Stage 3 Victory and Yellow Jersey

Defending Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar secured a win on stage three with a decisive late surge to the finish line after completing the 195.9km route from Granollers to Les Angles. This victory also earned him the overall lead and the coveted yellow jersey. Pogacar’s bonus seconds from the stage win brought him level on time with Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike, who had held the yellow jersey since the opening stage on Saturday.

With approximately 500 meters remaining, Pogacar launched a powerful attack that caught Vingegaard and French rider Paul Seixas of Decathlon-CMA CGM off guard. He was supported up the final category three climb by his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Isaac del Toro from Mexico, who had won the previous stage and had been pacing Pogacar while restraining his own speed.

On a scorching day in the Pyrenees along the border between northern Spain and southern France, spectators were advised to avoid the area near Les Angles due to ongoing wildfires. Temperatures in southwestern France are expected to reach 40°C this week, with parts of Portugal and Spain already experiencing temperatures above 40°C.

Tadej Pogacar douses himself in cold water at the Tour de France 2026 — Image caption, Pogacar poured a full bottle of cold water over himself as soon as he crossed the line

Pogacar, aged 27, is aiming for his fifth Tour de France title, which would tie him with Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain as the most successful riders in the race’s history.

"I got some extra power in the final [thanks to Del Toro] because he committed more than 100% in the final climb," Pogacar said. "All [of the] team in the middle of the stage said it is possible to go for the stage win and I'm really happy we started the Tour with this incredible finish today. To take yellow is a dream for any cyclist of any age, so for me any time I can get it on my shoulders, it feels special."

Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz of EF Education Easypost finished third, just ahead of Seixas, both finishing two seconds behind Vingegaard.

The highest-placed British rider on the day was Tom Pidcock of Pinarello-Q36.5, who finished 16th, 18 seconds behind the winner, alongside Colombia’s Egan Bernal of Netcompany Ineos Cycling. Pidcock currently ranks 11th in the general classification, 1 minute and 22 seconds behind the leader. The top Netcompany Ineos rider is Dutchman Thymen Arensman, in 16th place, 2 minutes and 19 seconds behind the yellow jersey.

Alex Baufon rides on the open road at the Tour de France 2026 — Image caption, EF Education-Easypost's Alex Baudin of France took the King of the Mountains jersey after spending much of the day at the front of the race before being caught by the peloton late on

EF Education-Easypost’s Alex Baudin of France claimed the King of the Mountains jersey after spending much of the day leading the race, before being caught by the peloton near the finish.

The tour de France peloton weaves through some farmland with horses in the foreground of the picture — Image caption, The race went through some very arid areas currently experiencing wild fires

The race traversed arid regions currently affected by wildfires.

Tadek Pogacar at the Tour de France stage 3 podium — Image caption, Fresh as a sunflower: Pogacar claimed the yellow and green points jersey for the day after cleaning himself up for the podium

After crossing the finish line, Pogacar doused himself with a full bottle of cold water to cool down.

Looking ahead, Tuesday’s stage from Carcassonne to Foix will feature additional steep climbs and is expected to bring more heat.

Image caption, Tuesday's run from Carcassonne to Foix will involve more steep hills, and more heat

Lotto Team Faces Setbacks

Belgian rider Arnaud de Lie and his Lotto-Intermarche team endured a difficult day at the rear of the peloton. The 24-year-old sprinter abandoned the race after falling more than 30 minutes behind the peloton during the stage.

De Lie entered the Tour recovering from an illness that appears to have affected his performance. Although it was anticipated he might struggle to keep pace with other sprint specialists, such as Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay, before the sprint stages begin on stage five, De Lie’s pace was so slow that he risked finishing outside the 17% time limit relative to the winner.

This withdrawal is a significant disappointment for De Lie, who also abandoned the Giro d’Italia in May due to illness believed to have been caused by exposure to cow manure splashed onto riders during wet conditions.

Lotto, a Belgian merger of Girmay’s former team Intermarche-Wanty and Lotto, also lost their head of performance, Aike Visbeek, just days before the Tour’s start.