Tadej Pogacar took command of the 2026 Tour de France on Monday, winning the third stage on the climb to Les Angles in the Pyrenees and taking the yellow jersey from the defending champion, Jonas Vingegaard. The Slovenian attacked in the closing meters to edge clear of his great rival on a day of punishing heat.
Decided in the final meters
Pogacar accelerated near the top of the final climb to finish two seconds ahead of Vingegaard, ESPN reported, taking the stage and the time bonus that came with it. The two ended the day level on overall time, but Pogacar moved into the race lead on countback thanks to the stage victory, Cyclingnews reported. Remco Evenepoel sat third overall, a little over 20 seconds back. It was, by ESPN's count, Pogacar's 22nd Tour stage win.
Racing through a heatwave
The stage, roughly 196 kilometers from Granollers in Spain across the border into the French Pyrenees, was run in dangerous heat, with temperatures near 41C (about 106F) at lower altitudes. A wildfire in the Pyrenees-Orientales, not far from the finish, forced organizers to restrict spectators and adjust arrangements around the route, as Cyclingnews reported. At least one rider, the sprinter Arnaud De Lie, abandoned during the stage, citing illness worsened by the conditions.
The bigger picture
The win reasserts Pogacar's status as the man to beat and reopens his familiar duel with Vingegaard, who had taken the lead earlier in the race. Pogacar is chasing a fifth Tour de France title, which would draw him level with the sport's greatest champions. With more mountains and more heat forecast in the days ahead, the race between the two looks set to define this Tour, as it has the last several.
