Pogacar wins Stage 3, seizes Tour de France yellow jersey

Tadej Pogacar seized the Tour de France yellow jersey on Monday, sprinting away from his rivals in the final 200 meters of the climb to Les Angles in the French Pyrenees to claim his 22nd career stage win at cycling's biggest race.nbcsports+1

Pogacar Strikes on First Mountain Stage

The UAE Emirates-XRG leader attacked on the final section of the ascent, crossing the line with a two-second advantage over Jonas Vingegaard, Richard Carapaz, and Paul Seixas. Pogacar collected 10 bonus seconds for his victory, while Vingegaard earned six seconds for finishing second. Overall, the pair are level on time, but Pogacar's stage win combined with his second-place finish in Sunday's Stage 2 gave him the yellow jersey on tiebreak.nbcsports

"If we can win like we won today, and the team feels super good, then we have to take the opportunity," Pogacar said after the stage.cyclingweekly

The 196-kilometer third stage from Granollers, Spain, to Les Angles, France, featured 3,850 meters of climbing and temperatures reaching 34°C at the start. It was the first mountain test of the 2026 Tour, and Pogacar made it count immediately.cyclingstage+1

Wildfire Forces Safety Measures

The stage finish sat roughly 60 kilometers from a large wildfire that has burned swathes of land in the region. Organizers suspended the publicity caravan — the 10-kilometer procession of sponsor vehicles that normally precedes the race — once the peloton entered France for the final 40 kilometers. Only riders and essential vehicles were allowed on the route, and spectators were asked not to gather on the roadside or at the finish area.nbcsports

Pogacar's Record-Chasing Season

Monday's victory marked Pogacar's 14th win of the season, a campaign that already includes general classification victories at the Tour de Suisse and Tour de Romandie, plus one-day wins at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Tour of Flanders, Milan-San Remo, and Strade Bianche. The two-time world champion is pursuing a record-equaling fifth Tour de France title, which would put him alongside Eddy Merckx, Miguel Indurain, Jacques Anquetil, and Bernard Hinault.nbcsports

Vingegaard, who won the Tour in 2022 and 2023 and had worn yellow since leading his Visma-Lease a Bike team to victory in Saturday's opening time trial around Barcelona, now sits tied on time but second overall. Stage 4 from Carcassonne to Foix is scheduled for Tuesday.idlprocycling+2