Pogacar wins stage 3 in Les Angles, seizes Tour de France lead from Vingegaard
Tadej Pogacar powered away from Jonas Vingegaard on the final climb to Les Angles to win stage 3 of the Tour de France and take the yellow jersey. The Slovenian is tied on time with the Dane but leads the general classification on countback.
Stage victory and yellow jersey
Tadej Pogacar claimed his 22nd career Tour de France stage win on the short, steep finish at Les Angles, crossing the line two seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard, Richard Carapaz and Paul Seixas. The victory, his first of this year's race, moved him into the overall lead. Pogacar and Vingegaard are tied on time, but the Slovenian wears yellow thanks to superior stage placings.
The UAE Team Emirates rider had gifted the previous day's stage to teammate Isaac del Toro in Barcelona. On the first mountain test, Del Toro repaid the favour, shredding the lead group on the final climb before Pogacar launched his decisive attack.
How the stage unfolded
The third stage carried the peloton from Granollers, Spain, into the French Pyrenees, with nearly 4,000 metres of elevation gain across four categorised climbs. A breakaway of six riders took 50 kilometres to form, with Alex Baudin eventually securing the polka-dot jersey on the Col de Toses.
UAE controlled the pace throughout, setting up the finale on the previously unvisited climb to Les Angles, a wall of less than two kilometres averaging 6.7%. Del Toro accelerated midway up, and Pogacar's explosive surge left Vingegaard looking over his shoulder rather than chasing.
- Breakaway of six riders finally forms after a frantic start
- Alex Baudin takes the mountains jersey from Alex Molenaar
- Peloton reaches Les Angles, Isaac del Toro sets a punishing pace
- Pogacar launches his decisive move, Vingegaard cannot follow
- Pogacar wins by two seconds and takes the yellow jersey
General classification picture
Behind the tied leaders, Remco Evenepoel sits third at 23 seconds. Del Toro is fourth overall after his stage win and support role. Carapaz and Seixas, who matched Vingegaard on the line, also moved into the top ten.
Pogacar's 22 stage wins equal André Darrigade for fifth on the all-time list. Mark Cavendish holds the record with 35. At 27, Pogacar is chasing a fifth Tour title and has now won stages in six consecutive editions of the race.
Wildfire dampens roadside atmosphere
The stage marked the Tour's entry onto French roads, but spectator numbers were thinner than usual. The prefect of Pyrénées-Orientales had urged the public to stay away from the route because of a large wildfire burning in the region. Those who did line the roads, mainly residents and holidaymakers, still applauded the riders through the villages.
