Crossing the border, changing the lead
Stage 3 carried the race out of Spain and over the eastern Pyrenees — the long Collada de Toses, the Col du Calvaire, and finally the ramp to the ski station at Les Angles. A 19-rider break animated the day, with Alex Baudin cresting the Toses first to pull on the polka-dot jersey before the move was swept up 11 km from the line.
That set up the first summit showdown of the Tour, and it lasted exactly 200 metres. Isaac del Toro — the previous day's winner — delivered the leadout, and Tadej Pogačar kicked. The gap was instant: two seconds to Jonas Vingegaard at the line, with Richard Carapaz third.
Level on time, ahead on bonuses
The math afterwards was delicious: Pogačar and Vingegaard dead level on cumulative time, with the stage-win bonus handing Pogačar the yellow jersey. Three days, three different leaders — Barcelona had promised an open Tour and the Pyrenees delivered one.
Profile and full result on the stage 3 page — follow the whole race on the Tour tracker.
