Pogačar takes yellow jersey after winning Tour de France stage in Pyrenees

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Tadej Pogačar seized the yellow jersey on Monday after winning the third stage of the Tour de France, marking his 22nd stage victory in the race and extending his dominance over Jonas Vingegaard in the Pyrenees. The Slovenian champion finished two seconds ahead of the Dane in Les Angles, overturning Vingegaard’s six-second deficit from the start of the day and taking the overall lead by virtue of better finishing positions in the opening three stages.
“Of course, to take the yellow jersey is the dream for any cyclist of any age,” Pogačar said. “For me it’s, I don’t know which time already, but every time I can get it again on my shoulders, it feels really special.” His UAE Team Emirates teammate Isaac Del Toro led out the sprint, delivering a decisive victory that underscored the team’s control over the race. “It’s because of Isaac today that I got some extra power in the final,” Pogačar said. “He committed more than 100 percent in the final climb and all the team actually.”
The stage, which began in Granollers, Spain, and ended in the French Pyrenees, saw temperatures exceed 30°C, forcing riders to adopt innovative cooling measures. Pogačar and Vingegaard finished in the same time as Richard Carapaz, who took third, while Remco Evenepoel finished eighth at four seconds and remains third overall, 23 seconds behind. Del Toro, the Sunday stage winner, sits fourth at 24 seconds, with Juan Ayuso and French teenager Paul Seixas rounding out the top six.
Martin Hvastija, a selector for Slovenia’s national road team and a technical advisor to RTV Slovenia, told a podcast that Pogačar’s team is operating “all under control.” “It seems that everything is going according to plan,” he said. “All the riders are healthy, all are well prepared, and what Tadej Pogačar and Isaac Del Toro are doing is the best and sweetest.” Hvastija added that defending the yellow jersey for three weeks will demand extraordinary effort. “It’s a very, very long time. No one really wants that. It’s much more effort than just following and holding on or dragging yourself to the finish line.”
The stage also highlighted the challenges faced by breakaway riders in an era of Pogačar’s dominance. George Bennett, a New Zealand veteran, described the difficulty of escaping in searing heat, blaming “the ambition of Tadej Pogačar” for the lack of cooperation among attackers. “It’s almost impossible to beat him when he gets like a cannibal,” Bennett said after finishing outside the top 20.
With the Tour now heading into the fourth stage from Carcasona to Foix, organizers and broadcasters expect a more open contest. RTVE will televise the stage in Spain, while DAZN and Eurosport will provide coverage across Europe. The 182-kilometre route, featuring 2,700 metres of elevation gain and temperatures nearing 40°C, offers multiple opportunities for a breakaway to succeed. The final climb, the Col de Montségur, and the technical descent to Foix are expected to define the winner, with the stage scheduled to finish around 17:30 local time.
Pogačar, who has now won 10 stages in the Pyrenees, faces the challenge of maintaining his lead through the Alps and the final week of the race. His ability to balance stage victories with overall leadership will be tested as the Tour moves into its most gruelling terrain.
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