Pogacar Wins Stage 3 at Tour de France, Ties Vingegaard in Overall Lead

Tadej Pogacar secured victory in the third stage of the Tour de France on July 6, 2026, matching Jonas Vingegaard in the overall standings. The stage, covering 196 kilometers from Granollers, Spain, to Les Angles, France, featured significant climbs including a category 1 ascent at Col de Tosa. Pogacar capitalized on a strong performance by teammate Isaac del Toro, who set a fast pace on the final climb, enabling Pogacar to out-sprint Vingegaard at the summit finish. Pogacar's win marked his 22nd career stage victory in the Tour and earned him the yellow jersey after a tie in total time, winning on a tiebreaker of fractions of a second.

Vingegaard finished second, two seconds behind Pogacar, while veteran Richard Carapaz took third place. Nineteen-year-old French rider Paul Sykes impressed with a fourth-place finish. The peloton caught the breakaway about 11.5 kilometers from the finish, just before the final 1.7-kilometer climb with a 6.5% gradient. Pogacar and Vingegaard now share the same overall time of 8 hours, 46 minutes, and 55 seconds, with Pogacar leading on the tiebreak. Remco Evenepoel remains third overall, 16 seconds behind, followed by del Toro, Juan Ayuso, and Sykes.

Tomorrow's fourth stage will be a rolling 181.9 kilometers from Carcassonne to Foix, featuring four categorized climbs including two category 2 ascents. The final climb is 6.9 kilometers at an average gradient of 6.6%. Pogacar's 22 Tour stage wins place him tied for fifth all-time with French rider André Darrigade, 13 wins shy of Mark Cavendish's record of 35.

Summary: Tadej Pogacar won the third stage of the 2026 Tour de France, overtaking Jonas Vingegaard in a sprint finish and claiming the yellow jersey on a time tiebreak. The stage from Spain to France included multiple climbs, and Pogacar's teammate Isaac del Toro played a key role in setting the pace. Both riders now share the overall lead, with Pogacar ahead on fractions of a second.