GC and jerseys after Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 stage 3

Alex Baudin survived the first major general classification reshuffle of the 2026 Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes, holding onto the yellow jersey after the stage 3 team time trial in Perreux. Team Visma | Lease a Bike won the 28.4km test, but EF Education-EasyPost did enough late on to protect Baudin’s race lead.

The stage was always likely to give the GC a clearer shape after two breakaway-led road stages. The rolling course, technical sections and uphill finish made it more complicated than a pure power test, and the gaps reflected that. Team Visma | Lease a Bike produced the fastest ride of the day in 32:52, nine seconds quicker than Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team and 29 seconds ahead of EF Education-EasyPost.

Baudin began the day with a 32-second advantage over the main favourites, and the Frenchman needed a strong finish after EF had lost time to the quickest teams through the intermediate checks. He delivered it on the final climb, crossing the line with enough in hand to remain in yellow.

Baudin keeps yellow as the GC tightens

Baudin still leads the Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes after stage 3, but the cushion is now much smaller. Kévin Vauquelin and Oscar Onley moved up to second and third overall at 12 seconds, helped by Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team’s strong ride, even if Onley’s dropped chain cost the team momentum late in the effort.

Matteo Jorgenson was the biggest GC winner among the established contenders. Team Visma | Lease a Bike had to cope with Wout van Aert dropping early and Ben Tulett suffering a puncture, but Jorgenson still came through the final climb strongly to help seal the stage win and move into fourth overall, 15 seconds behind Baudin.

Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose are next on GC at 47 seconds after Lidl-Trek finished fourth on the stage. That keeps both firmly in the race, but they now sit behind Baudin, the Netcompany INEOS pair and Jorgenson before the mountains return.

Paul Seixas is 12th overall at one minute after Decathlon CMA CGM lost time in the team time trial, while Isaac del Toro dropped to 16th at 1:16 after UAE Team Emirates-XRG finished further back. Both remain relevant, but the road back has become more complicated.

General classification after stage 3

1. Alex Baudin, EF Education-EasyPost, 10:01:01
2. Kévin Vauquelin, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, +12 seconds
3. Oscar Onley, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, +12 seconds
4. Matteo Jorgenson, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +15 seconds
5. Juan Ayuso, Lidl-Trek, +47 seconds
6. Mattias Skjelmose, Lidl-Trek, +47 seconds
7. Jørgen Nordhagen, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +50 seconds
8. Maxim Van Gils, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, +56 seconds
9. Carlos Rodríguez, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +57 seconds
10. Bruno Armirail, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, +57 seconds

The position of Vauquelin and Onley gives Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team two cards to play, while Jorgenson’s climb into fourth gives Team Visma | Lease a Bike a clear GC route even after Tulett’s puncture disrupted their team time trial. Ayuso and Skjelmose remain close enough to matter, but Lidl-Trek will need the climbs to open up the race rather than simply control it.

Points classification after stage 3

Nadav Raisberg remains in the green jersey after stage 3. The team time trial did not bring the same sort of movement seen in the general classification, so the points contest still reflects the breakaway and sprinting patterns from the opening two road stages.

1. Nadav Raisberg, NSN Cycling Team, 30 points
2. Anthon Charmig, Uno-X Mobility, 25 points
3. Henri-François Renard-Haquin, Team Picnic PostNL, 22 points
4. Vlad Van Mechelen, Bahrain Victorious, 20 points
5. Raúl García Pierna, Movistar Team, 18 points
6. Jordan Jegat, TotalEnergies, 18 points
7. Clément Braz Afonso, Groupama-FDJ United, 16 points
8. Benjamin Thomas, Cofidis, 15 points
9. Alex Baudin, EF Education-EasyPost, 14 points
10. Ramses Debruyne, Alpecin-Premier Tech, 12 points

Raisberg’s lead is useful, but not yet secure. With flatter stages still to come, the green jersey could swing back towards faster finishers if sprint teams regain control. Charmig remains close enough to keep pressure on, while Renard-Haquin and Van Mechelen are also within one strong stage of changing the picture.

Mountains classification after stage 3

Clément Braz Afonso keeps the mountains jersey after the team time trial. There were no categorised climbs offering KoM points in the same way as a road stage, so the top of the classification remained largely as it was after the opening two days.

1. Clément Braz Afonso, Groupama-FDJ United, 17 points
2. Alex Baudin, EF Education-EasyPost, 14 points
3. Benjamin Thomas, Cofidis, 12 points
4. Sergio Samitier, Cofidis, 11 points
5. Kevin Vermaerke, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, 8 points
6. Anthon Charmig, Uno-X Mobility, 6 points
7. Isaac del Toro, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, 6 points
8. Georg Zimmermann, Lotto Intermarché, 5 points
9. Léo Bisiaux, Decathlon CMA CGM Team, 4 points
10. George Bennett, NSN Cycling Team, 4 points

Braz Afonso has a narrow but meaningful lead, with Baudin still second in the standings while also wearing yellow. The mountains competition should become much more active once the race reaches the harder climbing stages, especially with riders out of GC range likely to target breakaway points.

Youth classification after stage 3

Baudin also keeps control of the youth classification, but the white jersey battle now looks closely tied to the overall race. Vauquelin and Onley are both only 12 seconds behind, while Ayuso, Nordhagen, Bisiaux and Seixas all sit inside the top eight of the young rider standings.

1. Alex Baudin, EF Education-EasyPost, 10:01:01
2. Kévin Vauquelin, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, +12 seconds
3. Oscar Onley, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, +12 seconds
4. Juan Ayuso, Lidl-Trek, +47 seconds
5. Jørgen Nordhagen, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +50 seconds
6. Léo Bisiaux, Decathlon CMA CGM Team, +59 seconds
7. Carlos Rodríguez, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +57 seconds
8. Paul Seixas, Decathlon CMA CGM Team, +1:00
9. Luke Tuckwell, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, +1:03
10. Cian Uijtdebroeks, Movistar Team, +1:07

The white jersey competition is one of the strongest subplots of the race. Baudin leads both yellow and white, but Vauquelin and Onley are now close enough to turn the classification with one strong mountain stage. Ayuso remains well placed too, though Lidl-Trek will need to be more aggressive if they want to move him back into direct contention.

Team classification after stage 3

Groupama-FDJ United remain top of the team classification after stage 3, despite Team Visma | Lease a Bike winning the team time trial. Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team sit third after placing Vauquelin, Onley and Armirail inside the top 10 overall.

1. Groupama-FDJ United, 28:56:59
2. Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +44 seconds
3. Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, +1:10
4. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, +3:43
5. Lidl-Trek, +3:49
6. Decathlon CMA CGM Team, +3:50
7. Uno-X Mobility, +4:50
8. XDS Astana Team, +5:58
9. EF Education-EasyPost, +10:34
10. Movistar Team, +12:27

The team classification gives a useful picture of race depth after the TTT. Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team both moved strongly, while Lidl-Trek’s fourth place on the stage lifted them into fifth overall. EF Education-EasyPost still hold the yellow jersey through Baudin, but the wider team standings show how much pressure may come from better-packed squads once the mountains return.

What changes after the team time trial?

The stage 3 team time trial has made the Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes more defined without fully deciding it. Baudin is still in yellow, but his early cushion has been cut. Vauquelin and Onley are now close enough to put EF under pressure, while Jorgenson has moved into the strongest position of the pre-race favourites.

The biggest concern is for riders who lost more than expected. Seixas is still in the race, but a one-minute deficit means Decathlon CMA CGM may have to race more aggressively once the climbs return. Isaac del Toro also has work to do after UAE Team Emirates-XRG lost more than a minute to Team Visma | Lease a Bike.

Stage 4 from Le Puy-en-Velay to Montrond-les-Bains should offer a calmer GC day if the sprinters’ teams control it. After the tension of Perreux, that may suit Baudin. The race lead is his for now, but the team time trial has brought several dangerous rivals within striking distance.

Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 result

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Main photo credit: A.S.O./Gaëtan Flamme