Les Angles (France) (AFP) – The far superior Tadej Pogacar, who had not been in contention for his teammate Isaac del Toro’s victory the day before, regained his usual rapacity to take victory this Monday in the third stage of the Tour de France.
First modification: 07/06/2026 – 19:22
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By the way, the “Cannibal of Komenda” has regained the yellow jersey of the leader of Grand Boucle, which was worn by his Danish rival Jonas Vingegaard at the beginning of the day.
On the occasion of the arrival of the French round on French soil – starting in Granollers (Spain) – in front of a smaller audience than usual due to fires in the region, the Slovenian superstar once again brought to the table an issue that has troubled the cycling world during two years of excessive dominance.
Did he really need to force his UAE teammates to work throughout the day to leave no margin for escape?
Was it really important, given his impressive record, to aim for this new Tour stage win, the 22nd, which puts him level with Frenchman Andre Darrigade, fifth in the overall classification?
“Maybe tomorrow is the last time”
“I don’t know how to answer that. I don’t know how long I can continue winning and defending this jersey. Maybe tomorrow will be the last time,” responded the two-time world champion, two seconds ahead of Jonas Wingegaard, Richard Carapaz and the solid Paul Seixas, while the rest of the leaders arrived just behind.
The Slovenian, who decided to “go for victory in the middle of the stage,” often repeats that he is paid “for winning races.”
But that insatiable appetite doesn’t necessarily sit well with everyone in the peloton, where some complain that the UAE are leaving few crumbs for their rivals, even in a stage clearly designed for a breakaway.
“It’s a shame they missed the break. It would be good for them. But as Tadej said at the finish: when you feel that you can win, you have to take advantage of this opportunity,” commented Remco Evenepoel, third overall.
Slovenian UAE rider Tadej Pogacar celebrates his victory on the podium in the yellow jersey at the end of the 3rd stage of the Tour de France in Le Angle (France), July 6, 2026. © Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP
“Tadej told us he felt good and then Florian (Vermeersch) started to pull. I think they didn’t cooperate very well in the breakaway either, which allowed us to close the gap quite easily,” explained UAE-based Austrian climber Felix Grossschärtner.
At the hill finish in the Pyrenean resort of Les Angles, the Slovenian took victory thanks to the work of his Mexican teammate Isaac del Toro and his superb explosiveness.
At the same time as Vingegaard
Along with Vingegor Pogačar is the leader in the general classification in terms of total places.
The four-time Tour winner, who loves the Pyrenees where he usually finishes the Tour, kept his UAE team working throughout the day to go out and take the win after losing it to his teammate Del Toro the day before, ninth on Monday in Les Angles and fourth overall.
This third stage marked the Tour’s entry into France, 44 km from the finish.
There were fewer people than usual on the roadsides after the prefect of France’s Eastern Pyrenees region urged the public to “stay off the route” due to a major fire in the region.
But this was no desert, and the runners cheered widely, especially residents and vacationers, as they crossed the towns.
It was one of the few novelties of the stage, which ended in the same finale as almost always.
© 2026 AFP