The Frenchman claimed the maillot jaune on stage 1 with a solo attack from the day's breakaway, and leads the race by 32 seconds over nine riders, led by Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Kevin Vermaerke (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). The bulk of the GC contenders like Paul Seixas (Decathlon), Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) are 44 seconds in arrears.
The team time trial - an undulating 28.4km circuit in Perreux - starts with a 4.9km climb averaging 3.5% to the first time check, then has a twisting, technical descent followed by a shallow climb to the second. A sharp climb in the final 800 metres caps off the demanding parcours.
During Paris-Nice, a much flatter team time trial of 23.5km went to Netcompany Ineos, and the team have a similar lineup for the stage, with Kévin Vauquelin and Oscar Onley lying seventh and eighth overall at 32 seconds.
Lidl-Trek, second in Paris-Nice, will be motivated to gain time as Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose are at 44 seconds.
The Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is a Tour de France proving ground for Seixas, and his Decathlon team - third in the Paris-Nice TTT - are already missing Matthew Riccitello, but have two powerful engines in Stefan Bissegger and Daan Hoole.
Visma-Lease a Bike are in a strong position with Ben Tulett in fifth overall, while Jorgenson is in the 44-second group. They'll be relying on Edoardo Affini, Bruno Armirail and Wout van Aert to power their squad.
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UAE Team Emirates-XRG, meanwhile, will be fighting to make up ground for Del Toro.
The team time trial format is unique in that each rider's time on the general classification comes when they cross the line - not when the fourth rider of the team crosses, as was the case in past team time trials.
That means that teams with dual leaders, like Netcompany Ineos, will want to stay together and deliver both riders to the finish as quickly as possible.
Tune into Cyclingnews for full live coverage of stage 3 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and follow each team's strategy as it unfolds.
Picnic-PostNL are the first team down the ramp at 15:05 CET, while Del Toro is the first major GC contender for the Tour to start at 15:49.
Seixas' team roll out at 16:05, and Netcompany-Ineos start at 16:17. EF Education-EasyPost chase after them all at 16:29.
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2026 Criterium du Dauphiné/Tour Auvergne Rhône-Alpes stage 3 start times
Laura Weislo is a Cyclingnews veteran of 20 years. Having joined in 2006, Laura extensively covered the Operacion Puerto doping scandal, the years-long conflict between the UCI and the Tour de France organisers ASO over the creation of the WorldTour, and the downfall of Lance Armstrong and his lifetime ban for doping. As Managing Editor, Laura coordinates coverage for North American events and global news.
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