We're only two stages into the 2026 Tour de France and already the best riders are crowding the GC standings, with two-time Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) at the top, six seconds ahead of four-time winner and defending champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG). Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) is third at 15 seconds.
These three were expected to be the main contenders for the race, and so far, only Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) is within arms reach of the trio. Further behind is the hope of the home nation, Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM), 42 seconds behind.
There is an opportunity for the maillot jaune to change hands on the longest stage so far from Granollers - Les Angles, a 196-kilometre route that brings the race into the Pyrenees for a category 3 summit finish.
It's early days and Vingegaard could decide to let the yellow jersey go to a rider in the breakaway, but UAE Team Emirates seem to have an insatiable appetite for victory, and could want more after taking first and second with Isaac del Toro and Pogačar in Barcelona on Sunday.
It's a brutal stage that with almost 4,000 metres of elevation gain, but fortunately in the mountains, the temperatures will be milder than what the race experienced in Spain.
Expect the breakaway to go clear on the category 3 Côte de Saint Feliu de Codines, which tops out just 17.2km into the stage. The category 1 Col de Toses with 68.2km to go is the start of a trio of climbs that brings riders to the finish.
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Tune in to Cyclingnews' live coverage of the Tour de France stage 3 on Monday to find out what happens!
Stage 3 marks the return to France, entering the Pyrenees with the first of eight mountain stages. The 195.9km route with 3,950 metres of elevation gain could deliver a GC battle, but also provides a great springboard for an opportunist looking to get the maillot jaune early.
Points at finish: 30-25-22-19-17-15-13-11-9-7-6-5-4-3-2
Starting in Granollers, in Spain, the route climbs steadily towards Côte de Saint Feliu de Codines, cresting 17.4km into the stage before a long valley run of roughly 90km. The road then ramps up again at the cat. 1 Col de Toses, shortly after which the riders cross into France for two more ascents, the Col du Calvaire, and the final push to the finish line, the climb to Les Angles (1.7km at 7%).
Mountains
Côte de Saint Feliu de Codines (cat. 3, 7.6km at 4.5%), km. 17.2
2-1 pts
Col de Toses (cat. 1, 9.3 km at 6.5%), km. 127.7
10-8-6-4-2-1 pts
Col du Calvaire (cat. 3, 11.4 km at 4.1%), km. 172.3
Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.
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