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Pogacar Wins Stage 3, Seizes Yellow Jersey.

7/7/2026

Summary

Pogacar Claims Yellow

Tadej Pogacar won stage three and took the yellow jersey from Jonas Vingegaard.
He attacked 250 metres from the Les Angles summit, creating a two-second gap that gave him the lead on countback despite finishing with the same overall time as Vingegaard.
Team-mate Isaac del Toro paced Pogacar up the climb while wildfires near the border halted the publicity caravan and limited spectators on the last 40 km.

Summary

Baudin Breakaway

On July 6 2026, French rider Bruno Armirail crashed, injuring his right arm and leg, then re-joined the race.
Alex Baudin (EF Education–EasyPost) led a six-rider breakaway, topped the Col de Toses and Col du Calvaire, and claimed the polka-dot jersey.
Organisers barred spectators from the Les Angles finish because of nearby wildfires, restricting access to the final 40 km.
Stage 4 on July 7 2026 will cover 181.9 km from Carcassonne to Foix, with temperatures expected to hit 41 °C.

Summary

UAE Sets Pace

The race, despite hot conditions, covered the opening third at 43 km/h and trimmed a breakaway of nineteen riders to six—including Alex Baudin, George Bennett and Nicolas Prodhomme.
One team conserved energy, allowing a two-minute gap before UAE Team Emirates raised the peloton’s pace.
A crash on the first climb injured Bruno Armirail’s knee, broke his shoe, and led to a 3,940 metre uphill finish at Les Angles, the second-longest day.

History

Historical Context

The 2003 Tour de France, run 5-27 July, coincided with Europe’s deadliest summer heat wave, which killed over 70,000 people and 14,800 in France. Extreme temperatures strained the race, and defending champion Lance Armstrong faced severe conditions. It was the hottest European summer since 1540 and later led France to adopt a national heat-wave plan to improve emergency response.

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Pogacar Claims Yellow

Tadej Pogacar won stage three and took the yellow jersey from Jonas Vingegaard.
He attacked 250 metres from the Les Angles summit, creating a two-second gap that gave him the lead on countback despite finishing with the same overall time as Vingegaard.
Team-mate Isaac del Toro paced Pogacar up the climb while wildfires near the border halted the publicity caravan and limited spectators on the last 40 km.

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