As it happened: A new GC but the race leader hangs on after Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes stage 3 TTT

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of stage 3 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the 28.4km team time trial in Perreux.

The action will get under way at 15:05 local time, so in around 20 minutes.

Dutch squad Picnic-PostNL will be the first team to get underway.

Teams will then head out at four-minute intervals, with the US squad of Alex Baudin, EF Education-EasyPost, the last team to start at 16:29.

You can check out the full list of team start times here at our dedicated Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 2026 stage 3 team time trial start times page

Here's a look at the map of the stage, which starts and ends in Perreux. There are two time checkpoints along the way after 8km at 15.8km.

Here's a look back at yesterday's results from stage 2, which saw Anthon Charmig triumph from the break as the escapees triumphed for the second stage in a row.

Charmig broke clear of his breakmates in a 10-man move with 12km to go on the 234km stage. – Another successful breakaway as Anthon Charmig wins stage 2

Picnic-PostNL are about to kick things off. They've had a terrible season so far, with just one win, and they lie 29th in the UCI rankings. Team boss Roy Curvers has said that 'Things aren't going smoothly.'

The Dutch team is unlikely to add to their win tally today. They're starting first as the last-placed team in the team classification.

Lotto-Intermarché are up next. They're just about to head out.

They're off and next it's NSN.

Our senior tech writer has been in France at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes this week, compiling a mega tech gallery.

Here's what he found.

No checkpoint times yet as Picnic-PostNL haven't yet hit the first check.

Three teams now out on course as NSN start their effort. Jayco-AlUla are up next.

Picnic-PostNL are through the first time check with a time of 11:49.

Lotto-Intermarché are 13 seconds quicker at the first checkpoint as TotalEnergies set off.

'You have to constantly feel things could go wrong' – Decathlon CMA CGM explain why Paul Seixas is racing the team time trial in Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

NSN bump Picnic-PostNL down to third from three so far, just beating them by a second at the first checkpoint.

Bahrain Victorious are the next team to start.

Cofidis next as Picnic-PostNL pass the second checkpoint with a time of 22:18.

Jayco-AlUla have set by far the quickest time at the first checkpoint. Their time of 11:03 is 33 seconds up on Lotto-Intermarché.

Tudor are off as Lotto beat Picnic at the second checkpoint by eight seconds.

Jayco-AlUla over a minute quicker than anyone else at the second checkpoint. Their time is the only one under 21 minutes at 20:58.

Bahrain Victorious are two seconds up on Jayco-AlUla at the first checkpoint.

35:37 for Picnic-PostNL at the uphill finish.

Caja Rural-Seguros RGA and Alpecin-Premier Tech the next teams to start.

That's 10 teams of the 22 out on course now.

Bahrain eight seconds up on Jayco at the second checkpoint as Lotto beat Picnic by three seconds at the finish.

With times counting as the first rider crosses the line, there's something of a mini lead out as they set up their GC leader to power up the final slope.

NSN did just that with George Bennett, and they beat Lotto by under a second at the line.

Jayco almost two minutes quicker than the rest at the finish with a time of 33:46.

QuickStep, UAE, Movistar, and Astana the latest teams to start.

TotalEnergies second at the finish, almost a minute down on Jayco.

Pello Bilbao launches Santiago Buitrago up the final climb as Bahrain near the end of their TTT.

Bahrain drop to second at the finish, 12 seconds down on Jayco.

No other teams yet troubling the top of the standings at the first checkpoint.

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UAE go quickest at the first checkpoint now. They're the first team to go under 11 minutes there, two seconds quicker than Bahrain.

Movistar go quicker still, five seconds up with a time of 10:54.

Lidl-Trek have just started and now Paul Seixas' Decathlon CMA CGM get underway.

Movistar out on the road.

Uno-X Mobility and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe the next teams off. Four left to go.

Movistar drop to second behind Bahrain at the second checkpoint. They're three seconds down.

Meanwhile Lidl-Trek edge out the Spanish team by fractions of a second at the first checkpoint.

The US squad with Juan Ayuso on board look good so far.

Netcompany Ineos start their effort as Alpecin-Premier Tech cross the line in third place, 51 seconds down on Jayco-AlUla.

Decathlon are third at the first checkpoint, five seconds slower than Lidl-Trek.

A new third place at the line as Soudal-QuickStep slot in with a time of 34:28.

Visma-Lease a Bike start off now. Just Groupama-FDJ United and EF Education-EasyPost left to go.

UAE begin the final climb with Isaac del Toro and Kevin Vermaerke the last two men.

Lidl-Trek 11 seconds up on Bahrain at the second checkpoint.

UAE speed up in the final sector but they can't beat Jayco at the line. They're seven seconds down at the finish.

Groupama-FDJ United set off.

Decathlon third at the second checkpoint, 12 seconds off Lidl-Trek.

Cian Uijtdebroeks cross the line for Movistar and they're top at the finish! 33:44 for them, two seconds up on Jayco.

Red Bull quickest at the first check with a time of 10:53 but Ineos go even quicker with a time of 10:40.

EF set off as the final team out on the road.

Netcompany Ineos during their ride today.

Visma second at the first checkpoint, three seconds off Ineos.

XDS-Astana sixth at the finish, meanwhile, 47 seconds down on Movistar.

Mattias Skjelmose and Juan Ayuso head to the finish and set the new quickest time at 33:24.

Visma-Lease a Bike during their effort.

Visma have unfortunately lost their best-placed man on GC, Ben Tulett, early thanks to a puncture. Wout van Aert also dropped away early on.

Léo Bisiaux leads Paul Seixas up the final climb for Decathlon, though they slightly otched the final bend onto the hill as Bisiaux's wheel slipped a little as he turned.

Netcompany Ineos quickest at the second checkpoint, 20 seconds up on Lidl-Trek.

Seixas crosses the line and Decathlon are in second, 13 seconds off Lidl-Trek.

EF are third at the first checkpoint, 11 seconds off Ineos

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Visma second, six seconds off Ineos, at the second checkpoint.

EF and race leader Alex Baudin out on course today.

Oscar Onley dropped his chain with 9km to run and his teammates have to wait. Kévin Vauquelin is waving his arms to keep the team going.

Uno-X Mobility finish up in 10th place.

Ineos only have a six-second buffer over Visma at the second checkpoint, so they don't have much time to spare.

Red Bull the next team to the line with four riders at the base of the final hill.

33:33 for Red Bull for the second-best time so far.

Ineos, Visma, FDJ, EF left to finish.

Also four left for Ineos into the final climb.

Josh Tarling drops off to leave Onley, Vauquelin and Rodríguez to head up the climb.

Onley and Vauquelin swap turns as Rodríguez struggles to keep up.

Vauquelin and Onley cross the line together and set the quickest time. 33:01 for them, 23 seconds up on Lidl-Trek.

Visma and EF are both going well but both have been slower than Ineos at the first two checkpoints.

10km to go for EF.

The quickest team so far, Netcompany Ineos.

Matteo Jorgenson and Jørgen Nordhagen head up the final climb for Visma.

Jorgenson goes it alone to the finish.

And Visma beat Ineos by nine seconds at the finish line! 32:52

The leaders at the moment.

Groupama-FDJ United are the next team to come to the finish. They've been 12th at the first two checkpoints so won't trouble the top of the standings.

Picnic-PostNL and Caja Rural-Seguros RGA the two slowest teams at the moment with times of 35:37 and 35:57.

Alex Baudin is 32 seconds up on Onley and Vauquelin in the GC, while Jorgenson is 44 seconds down.

Those are the gaps EF need to keep an eye on at the finish if they're to keep yellow.

FDJ hit the climb with five riders, rapidly slimming down to three. They're already slower than the top times, though.

EF head into the final climb and it's up to Baudin now. He's on his own.

He's targeting a time of 33:33 to save yellow.

The stage win is gone for EF but they can still defend the race lead.

400 metres to go.

Baudin has half a minute to cover the final 200 metres.

Baudin crosses the line with a time of 33:21 to save yellow!

Third best time for EF.

Here's a look at the final result today.

Matteo Jorgenson and his Visma-Lease a Bike teammates after their winning effort.

In the end, only 10 seconds separated Ineos from the win, while Vauquelin was only 13 seconds away from taking the race lead. Did that Onley dropped chain cost them?

Here's our race report today...

Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: Visma-Lease a Bike power to team time trial victory on stage 3, but EF's Baudin keeps yellow jersey after GC shake-up

Alex Baudin celebrates holding on to the race lead after the TTT.

In the new GC, Alex Baudin leads Kévin Vauquelin and Oscar Onley by 12 seconds. Matteo Jorgenson is 15 seconds down, while Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose are next at 47 seconds.

Paul Seixas has some catching up to do, meanwhile, in 12th overall at a minute down.

The battle for the white young rider's jersey looks similar, with Baudin leading Vauquelin, Onley, and Ayuso at the top of the standings.

The other individual standings remain the same, with Nadav Raisberg leading the points classification and Clément Braz Afonso in the mountain classification lead.

Some words from Matteo Jorgenson, who led the winning team, Visma Lease a Bike, home.

"I was just saying in a French interview, it's seven times better than winning on your own. Because we get the moment right afterwards together, which in cycling you don't often get, where you win together with your teammates, it's a really cool discipline and a really nice day.

"It didn't really go as planned at all. We lost Wout pretty early; he wasn't feeling super, and then Ben flatted and almost crashed on the main descent, so that was a hairy moment."

More quotes in our stage 3 race report.

Stage 1 winner Alex Baudin is back in yellow as race leader for another day.

The next two stages are flat finishes and likely to end in sprints so the Frenchman looks good to hang on to the lead until stage 6 when the race hits the mountains.

Here's a look at the profile of tomorrow's fourth stage of the race. It covers 167.4km from Le Puy-en-Velay to Montrond-les-Bains and is likely to end with a bunch sprint finish.

That's all from us on live reporting from today's stage. Be sure to check back for news from France throughout the evening and come back tomorrow for live coverage of stage 4!