GC and jerseys after Tour de France 2026 stage 3

Tadej Pogačar has taken the yellow jersey at the Tour de France 2026 after winning stage 3 at Les Angles, but the race could hardly be tighter.

Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard are level on overall time after three stages. Pogačar leads on countback after winning the first mountain stage of the race, with Vingegaard second overall on the same time. That leaves the Tour in a rare position: UAE Team Emirates XRG have yellow, but Team Visma Lease a Bike have lost it by the smallest possible margin.

Stage 3 was not a demolition. It was a precise swing.

Pogačar won the stage ahead of Vingegaard, with Richard Carapaz third and Paul Seixas fourth. The official finish gap between Pogačar and Vingegaard was two seconds, while the bonus seconds made the difference sharper. Pogačar took 10 seconds for the win, Vingegaard took six for second, and Carapaz took four for third.

That was enough to move Pogačar into yellow after only three stages. Vingegaard is still on the same overall time, but the race lead has changed hands.

Tour de France 2026 GC after stage 3

Rank	Rider	Team	Time / gap
1	Tadej Pogačar	UAE Team Emirates XRG	8:46:55
2	Jonas Vingegaard	Team Visma Lease a Bike	Same time
3	Remco Evenepoel	Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe	+23sec
4	Isaac del Toro	UAE Team Emirates XRG	+24sec
5	Juan Ayuso	Lidl-Trek	+27sec
6	Paul Seixas	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	+48sec
7	Florian Lipowitz	Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe	+53sec
8	Lenny Martinez	Bahrain Victorious	+1:09
9	Tobias Halland Johannessen	Uno-X Mobility	+1:11
10	Ilan Van Wilder	Soudal-Quick Step	+1:17

Current jersey leaders after stage 3

Jersey	Classification leader	Team	Notes
Yellow jersey	Tadej Pogačar	UAE Team Emirates XRG	Leads GC on countback, same time as Vingegaard
Green jersey	Tadej Pogačar	UAE Team Emirates XRG	Leads points classification on 55 points
Polka-dot jersey	Alex Baudin	EF Education-EasyPost	Leads mountains classification on 12 points
White jersey	Isaac del Toro	UAE Team Emirates XRG	Leads young rider classification
Team classification	UAE Team Emirates XRG	UAE Team Emirates XRG	Strongest team after three stages

There is one important jersey detail for stage 4. Pogačar leads both the yellow and green jersey classifications, but he will wear yellow. That means the green jersey should pass on the road to Jonas Vingegaard, who is second in the points classification. Del Toro leads the young rider standings and is no longer blocked by holding green, so he should wear white.

Yellow jersey: Pogačar takes control by the smallest margin

Pogačar’s move into yellow is less about a huge time gain and more about the weight of small details.

He started the day six seconds behind Vingegaard. He finished it level on time. The difference came from the stage win, the bonus seconds and the countback. In a Tour already shaped by a team time trial, bonus seconds and two uphill finales, that feels very fitting.

The first three stages have been about fractions.

Vingegaard took yellow in the Barcelona team time trial. Pogačar cut the gap on Montjuïc. Then, at Les Angles, Pogačar finished the job. He did not ride Vingegaard off his wheel, but he did enough to change the jersey.

That matters psychologically. UAE are no longer chasing yellow. They are defending it.

It also matters tactically. Pogačar now carries the responsibility of the race lead before stage 4 to Foix. UAE have to decide whether to control the hilly stage, let a breakaway take pressure away from the finale, or continue racing aggressively while they have momentum.

Vingegaard loses yellow, but not the race

This was not a bad day for Vingegaard in performance terms.

He finished second on the stage, stayed close to Pogačar and remains on the same overall time. There was no collapse, no visible crisis and no real separation between the two main favourites. In many ways, Visma can live with that.

But losing yellow still changes the tone.

Vingegaard had the first advantage of the race after stage 1. That advantage is gone. He is now second overall, level on time, and Visma have to decide whether that makes their race easier or harder.

There is an argument that losing yellow may reduce their workload. UAE now have the jersey and the public responsibility. Visma can ride more selectively and wait for better mountain terrain. But that only works if Vingegaard stays calm and avoids letting Pogačar build momentum across the next few stages.

After stage 3, Vingegaard is still right where he needs to be. He is just no longer the rider in yellow.

Evenepoel still close, but the gap grows

Remco Evenepoel remains third overall, but stage 3 was not as tidy for him as stage 2.

He finished eighth on the stage, four seconds behind Pogačar on the road, but the bonus seconds made the difference bigger. Pogačar gained 14 seconds on Evenepoel once the finish gap and bonuses were combined. Vingegaard gained eight.

That leaves Evenepoel 23 seconds off yellow after three stages.

It is not a damaging gap yet. The race has barely started, and the Belgian is still third overall. He also survived the first mountain day without being properly distanced, which was important. But the pattern is becoming clear. Pogačar and Vingegaard have already taken turns shaping the race, while Evenepoel has mostly been limiting losses.

Stage 4 could suit him if the race becomes tactical after the Col de Montségur. But in the GC picture, he needs more than a solid day. He needs a day where he changes the direction of the race.

Del Toro remains a serious UAE weapon

Isaac del Toro’s Tour continues to look remarkable.

After winning stage 2, he finished ninth on stage 3, only four seconds behind Pogačar. That leaves him fourth overall, 24 seconds behind yellow, and still leading the young rider classification.

He is no longer just a support rider in this race. He is a GC factor, a white jersey leader and a tactical problem for other teams.

That is useful for UAE because it gives them more ways to race. Pogačar is the leader and now wears yellow, but Del Toro is close enough overall to force attention. If he attacks, teams cannot treat him as a harmless satellite rider. If he follows, rivals cannot easily ignore him. If he stays in the group, he still gives UAE an extra card.

The challenge is how UAE manage that strength. Having Pogačar in yellow and Del Toro fourth overall gives them power, but it also makes them responsible for more of the race.

White jersey: Del Toro leads, Ayuso still close

The young rider classification is already one of the best subplots of the race.

Del Toro leads after stage 3, with Juan Ayuso second at just three seconds in the youth standings. Paul Seixas is third at 24 seconds, while Lenny Martinez remains close enough to keep the contest open.

Young rider classification after stage 3

Rank	Rider	Team	Time / gap
1	Isaac del Toro	UAE Team Emirates XRG	8:47:19
2	Juan Ayuso	Lidl-Trek	+3sec
3	Paul Seixas	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	+24sec
4	Lenny Martinez	Bahrain Victorious	+45sec
5	Lennert Van Eetvelt	Lotto-Intermarché	+1:23
6	Davide Piganzoli	Team Visma Lease a Bike	+1:51
7	Cian Uijtdebroeks	Movistar Team	+3:00
8	Alex Baudin	EF Education-EasyPost	+4:55
9	Antonio Tiberi	Bahrain Victorious	+6:53
10	Mathias Vacek	Lidl-Trek	+8:32

The main point is that the white jersey is not separate from the GC fight. Del Toro is fourth overall, Ayuso is fifth, Seixas is sixth, and several other young riders remain close enough to matter.

Seixas’ fourth place on stage 3 was especially striking. He did not just survive the first mountain stage. He finished with the main favourites and moved into sixth overall. That makes him one of the stories of the opening week.

Green jersey: Pogačar leads the points classification

The green jersey picture looks unusual after three stages.

Pogačar leads the points classification with 55 points after his stage win at Les Angles. Vingegaard is second on 44, Del Toro is third on 39, Mads Pedersen is fourth on 37 and Evenepoel is fifth on 33.

Points classification after stage 3

Rank	Rider	Team	Points
1	Tadej Pogačar	UAE Team Emirates XRG	55
2	Jonas Vingegaard	Team Visma Lease a Bike	44
3	Isaac del Toro	UAE Team Emirates XRG	39
4	Mads Pedersen	Lidl-Trek	37
5	Remco Evenepoel	Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe	33
6	Tobias Halland Johannessen	Uno-X Mobility	32
7	Paul Seixas	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	28
8	Alex Molenaar	Caja Rural-Seguros RGA	25
9	Richard Carapaz	EF Education-EasyPost	25
10	Mattias Skjelmose	Lidl-Trek	23

This is still an early classification and does not necessarily say much about who will win green in Paris. The opening stages have included a team time trial, a punchy uphill finish and a mountain stage, which is why GC riders dominate the points table.

The sprinters have not yet had the kind of routine flat finish that usually shifts the green jersey battle. That should change later in the week, but stage 4 complicates the picture because it offers 50 points at the finish while also including enough climbing to drop pure sprinters.

For now, Pogačar leads green, but Vingegaard is the likely rider to wear it on stage 4 because Pogačar will be in yellow.

Polka-dot jersey: Baudin takes over

Alex Baudin is the new leader of the mountains classification after stage 3.

Baudin’s long move on the road to Les Angles brought him enough climbing points to take the polka-dot jersey. He now has 12 points, ahead of Nicolas Prodhomme on nine and Raúl García Pierna on six.

Mountains classification after stage 3

Rank	Rider	Team	Points
1	Alex Baudin	EF Education-EasyPost	12
2	Nicolas Prodhomme	Decathlon CMA CGM Team	9
3	Raúl García Pierna	Movistar Team	6
4	Alex Molenaar	Caja Rural-Seguros RGA	5
5	Brandon McNulty	UAE Team Emirates XRG	4
6	Vlad Van Mechelen	Bahrain Victorious	4
7	Tadej Pogačar	UAE Team Emirates XRG	3
8	Felix Engelhardt	Team Jayco AlUla	3
9	Tobias Halland Johannessen	Uno-X Mobility	2
10	Valentin Paret-Peintre	Soudal-Quick Step	2

The jersey can still change quickly. Stage 4 includes four categorised climbs and 13 mountains points. That is enough for another breakaway rider to take control, especially with the category 2 Col de Coudons and category 2 Col de Montségur both coming in the second half of the stage.

For now, Baudin has the reward for being aggressive on the first real mountain day. Whether he keeps it depends on whether EF Education-EasyPost send him up the road again or save him for other stages.

UAE take the race from Visma

The first three days now read like a direct exchange between Visma and UAE.

Visma won the team time trial and put Vingegaard in yellow. UAE answered with Del Toro on stage 2, then Pogačar on stage 3. The result is that UAE now have the yellow jersey, the points classification leader, the young rider classification leader and two riders inside the top four overall.

That is a powerful position.

It also comes with a cost. UAE are now the team everyone will watch. They have the strongest visible hand in the race, but that means they may be expected to control more often. Stage 4 is the first test of that responsibility.

Visma are no longer in yellow, but they are not behind in any meaningful time sense. Vingegaard is level with Pogačar. The difference is symbolic, tactical and psychological. Those things matter in the Tour, but the stopwatch says the two favourites are still locked together.

Which riders gained and lost?

Pogačar was the clear winner. He took the stage, took yellow and moved into the points classification lead.

Vingegaard lost the jersey but did not lose the race. He is still on the same time as Pogačar and looked strong enough on the final climb. If anything, his stage 3 performance confirmed that he can follow Pogačar on this kind of finish, even if the bonus seconds went against him.

Carapaz also gained. Third on the stage, a time bonus and a place inside the broader GC picture gives EF Education-EasyPost a strong platform. Whether he targets GC seriously or becomes more of a stage hunter will depend on how the next mountain days unfold.

Seixas gained even more status. Fourth on a first mountain stage, sixth overall and third in the young rider classification is an outstanding position after three days.

Evenepoel lost a little ground, but not enough to change his whole race. The issue is more about trend than time. He is close, but Pogačar and Vingegaard have both already looked more decisive.

Ayuso and Del Toro remain well placed. Lipowitz, Martinez and Johannessen are still inside the top 10 and close enough to keep the youth battle broad.

What it means before stage 4

Stage 4 from Carcassonne to Foix now starts with Pogačar in yellow and Vingegaard level on time. That makes it more than a routine hilly stage.

The route is not a summit finish, but it includes enough climbing to make the race difficult to control. The Col de Coudons and Col de Montségur give breakaway riders and punchy climbers a platform, while the run to Foix creates room for late attacks or a reduced sprint.

The key question is how UAE ride.

They may prefer to let a safe breakaway go, especially if it takes bonus seconds and finish points away from the GC favourites. But if the wrong riders get up the road, or if teams with strong fast finishers decide to chase, stage 4 could become another complicated day.

After stage 3, Pogačar has the jersey. But because Vingegaard is on the same time, he does not yet have control of the race.

Quick summary after stage 3

Classification	Leader	Main takeaway
General classification	Tadej Pogačar	Leads on countback, same time as Vingegaard
Points classification	Tadej Pogačar	Leads on 55 points, with Vingegaard second
Mountains classification	Alex Baudin	Takes polka-dot jersey after aggressive stage 3
Young rider classification	Isaac del Toro	Leads Ayuso by three seconds
Team classification	UAE Team Emirates XRG	Yellow jersey, stage win and two riders in top four overall
Biggest GC story	Pogačar and Vingegaard level	Tour is effectively tied after three stages

Final word

Stage 3 did not create a huge gap, but it did change the race.

Pogačar won the stage, moved into yellow, took the points classification lead and gave UAE control of the Tour after three days. Vingegaard lost yellow but remains level on time. Evenepoel is still close, Del Toro is still fourth overall and the young rider competition already looks like a race within the race.

The Tour de France 2026 now has a rare opening-week picture. The two main favourites are tied on time, but one of them has the jersey, the momentum and a team that has won the last two stages.

That rider is Pogačar.

Stage 4 will show what UAE want to do with that position.