The Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 reaches its first major collective test on Tuesday, 9th June, with a 28.4km team time trial around Perreux. After two road stages won from the breakaway, the race now shifts into a very different discipline, where team structure, pacing and technical execution can reshape the general classification in less than 40 minutes.
Alex Baudin starts the day in the yellow and blue leader’s jersey after holding the overall lead through stage 2. He remains 32 seconds ahead of a compact chasing group that includes Ramses Debruyne, Kevin Vermaerke, Léo Bisiaux, Ben Tulett, Luke Tuckwell, Kévin Vauquelin, Oscar Onley, Rudy Molard and Luke Plapp. The time trial should decide whether Baudin can keep that cushion, or whether one of the stronger collective squads moves a GC rider closer to the front.
The first team, Team Picnic PostNL, is scheduled to start at 15:05 local time, which is 14:05 BST for UK viewers. EF Education-EasyPost, as the team of race leader Baudin, is the final squad down the ramp at 16:29 local time, or 15:29 BST. The first finishing time is expected around 14:37 BST, with the final team due to finish at around 16:02 BST.
UK viewers can watch the Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 live through TNT Sports and HBO Max. For a deeper tactical breakdown, our Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 stage 3 preview explains why this team time trial matters so much for the overall race.
Photo Credit: GettyWhat time does Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 stage 3 start?
Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 stage 3 starts at 14:05 BST on Tuesday, 9th June.
The stage is a 28.4km team time trial from Perreux to Perreux, with teams starting at four-minute intervals. Team Picnic PostNL are first off at 14:05 BST, while EF Education-EasyPost are last to start at 15:29 BST.
The key stage 3 details for UK viewers are:
- Date: Tuesday, 9th June
- Stage: stage 3
- Route: Perreux to Perreux
- Distance: 28.4km
- Discipline: team time trial
- First team start: 14:05 BST
- Final team start: 15:29 BST
- First expected finish: around 14:37 BST
- Final expected finish: around 16:02 BST
- UK live coverage: TNT Sports and HBO Max
Because this is a team time trial, the stage is much easier to follow if you know the start order. The strongest GC teams are clustered towards the later part of the schedule, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Lidl-Trek, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Groupama-FDJ United and EF Education-EasyPost all starting in the final 40 minutes.
How can UK viewers watch Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 stage 3?
UK viewers can watch Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 stage 3 live through TNT Sports and HBO Max.
TNT Sports is the linear TV option for subscribers, while HBO Max is the main streaming route for viewers watching on a laptop, mobile, tablet or smart TV.
Full broadcast details are available in our guide on how to watch Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 in the UK.
This is not a stage where viewers need to wait for one final climb or the last kilometre. The race will develop team by team, with each intermediate split helping to show which squads have judged the route correctly and which GC leaders are losing ground.
Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 stage 3 start times
The stage starts with Team Picnic PostNL at 14:05 BST and ends with EF Education-EasyPost at 15:29 BST.
- Team Picnic PostNL, 14:05 BST
- Lotto-Intermarché, 14:09 BST
- NSN Cycling Team, 14:13 BST
- Team Jayco-AlUla, 14:17 BST
- Team TotalEnergies, 14:21 BST
- Bahrain Victorious, 14:25 BST
- Cofidis, 14:29 BST
- Tudor Pro Cycling Team, 14:33 BST
- Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, 14:37 BST
- Alpecin-Premier Tech, 14:41 BST
- Soudal Quick-Step, 14:45 BST
- UAE Team Emirates-XRG, 14:49 BST
- Movistar Team, 14:53 BST
- XDS Astana Team, 14:57 BST
- Lidl-Trek, 15:01 BST
- Decathlon CMA CGM Team, 15:05 BST
- Uno-X Mobility, 15:09 BST
- Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, 15:13 BST
- Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, 15:17 BST
- Team Visma | Lease a Bike, 15:21 BST
- Groupama-FDJ United, 15:25 BST
- EF Education-EasyPost, 15:29 BST
The key viewing window should begin around 14:45 BST, when the stronger GC teams start coming quickly. UAE Team Emirates-XRG roll down the ramp at 14:49 BST, Lidl-Trek at 15:01 BST, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team at 15:17 BST and Team Visma | Lease a Bike at 15:21 BST. EF Education-EasyPost will be the final reference point as they try to defend Baudin’s race lead.
Why stage 3 is worth watching live
Stage 3 is worth watching because it is the first stage where the GC teams can make a collective difference. The first two days were selective in different ways, but both were still road stages shaped by breakaways, chase management and late splits. The team time trial is much less forgiving.
A strong squad can gain meaningful time without launching an attack on the road. A weaker squad can lose the race quietly through poor pacing, messy turns or dropping riders too early. That is what makes team time trials so influential in one-week races. They do not look as dramatic as summit finishes, but they can decide who has to chase for the rest of the week.
The timing also matters. The final mountain block is still to come, with Crest-Voland, Grand Colombier and Plateau de Solaison waiting later in the race. Stage 3 will shape the tactical starting positions for those climbs. Riders who gain time in Perreux can race with patience. Riders who lose time may have to attack earlier than they wanted.
What is the route for stage 3?
Stage 3 is a 28.4km circuit around Perreux. The route is rolling rather than flat, with enough changes in rhythm to make pacing important.
The opening section includes a climb towards the first time check, which comes after 8km. That means teams cannot simply ease into the effort. They need to start strongly, but not so hard that they begin losing riders before the course has properly opened out.
The second intermediate point comes at 15.8km, after another rolling section. From there, the route becomes faster, with a downhill-dominated final 10km back towards Perreux. The sting comes near the end, with a sharp rise in the final 800 metres that can punish any team that has gone too deep too early.
This is a course for disciplined squads. It rewards power, but it also rewards restraint. The fastest team will probably not be the one that looks most spectacular in the first 5km. It will be the one that still has a strong line and a functioning rotation in the final third.
What is the GC situation before stage 3?
Baudin leads the race after two stages, but the time gaps remain close enough for the team time trial to change the standings quickly.
The top 10 before stage 3 is:
- Alex Baudin, EF Education-EasyPost, 9:27:40
- Ramses Debruyne, Alpecin-Premier Tech, +0:32
- Kevin Vermaerke, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +0:32
- Léo Bisiaux, Decathlon CMA CGM Team, +0:32
- Ben Tulett, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, +0:32
- Luke Tuckwell, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, +0:32
- Kévin Vauquelin, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, +0:32
- Oscar Onley, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, +0:32
- Rudy Molard, Groupama-FDJ United, +0:32
- Luke Plapp, Team Jayco-AlUla, +0:32
Baudin’s lead is useful, but not secure. EF Education-EasyPost need a strong collective ride to keep him in yellow and blue, especially with teams such as Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team and UAE Team Emirates-XRG starting later in the order.
The riders at 32 seconds are close enough that a strong team performance could bring them right into the battle for the race lead. Tulett, Vauquelin, Onley, Plapp, Vermaerke and Bisiaux all have a clear route into a stronger GC position if their squads perform well.
What does the stage mean for EF Education-EasyPost?
EF Education-EasyPost start last because Baudin leads the race, but that also means they will know exactly what time they need to defend.
That is useful, but it brings pressure. Baudin’s 32-second advantage is not huge in a 28.4km team time trial. If EF struggle to hold formation, lose riders early or misjudge the final climb, the jersey could change hands.
They do have resources. Ben Healy, Georg Steinhauser, Kasper Asgreen, Michael Valgren and the rest of the squad give them enough power to produce a serious ride. The question is whether their team time trial structure can match the more obvious GC-heavy squads.
The goal is not necessarily to win the stage. It is to keep Baudin close enough to remain in yellow and blue, or at least prevent a major slide before the race returns to road stages.
Photo Credit: Cor VosWhich teams are favourites for the stage?
Team Visma | Lease a Bike look like one of the strongest favourites. Ben Tulett is already fifth overall, Matteo Jorgenson remains a central GC figure, and the team has enough depth and discipline to make the most of the course.
Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team are another major contender. Vauquelin and Onley are both in the top 10, while Carlos Rodríguez needs the team to limit the time he lost on stage 1. Their depth should be well suited to a rolling team time trial where maintaining structure matters as much as raw speed.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG also have a strong collective reason to perform. Vermaerke sits third overall, while Isaac del Toro and Juan Ayuso need to move through the race without losing more time before the mountains. Lidl-Trek, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Groupama-FDJ United should also be important reference points.
What about the jersey competitions?
Baudin leads the general classification and the young rider classification, while Nadav Raisberg leads the points classification and Clément Braz Afonso leads the mountains classification.
The team time trial will not reshape the points and mountains standings in the same way as a road stage, but it can change the overall and youth classifications significantly. Baudin’s white jersey lead is vulnerable if EF Education-EasyPost lose time to Alpecin-Premier Tech, Decathlon CMA CGM Team, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe or UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
The team classification should also move again. Groupama-FDJ United lead after stage 2, but the time trial gives the strongest collective squads a direct opportunity to gain time.
When should you tune in?
The stage starts at 14:05 BST, but the main GC action should come later. For UK viewers, the best window is from around 14:45 BST through to the final finish at around 16:02 BST.
That period includes Soudal Quick-Step, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Lidl-Trek, Decathlon CMA CGM Team, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Groupama-FDJ United and EF Education-EasyPost.
The most important comparisons should be visible at the 8km and 15.8km intermediate checks, then again on the final rise in Perreux. A team that looks strong at the first split may still fade if it has spent too much too early.
What comes next after stage 3?
Stage 4 takes the race from Le Puy-en-Velay to Montrond-les-Bains over 167.4km. It should give the race a different rhythm after the team time trial, but the GC situation after Perreux will decide how aggressively teams approach the next road stage.
The bigger mountain tests still wait later in the race. Crest-Voland, Grand Colombier and Plateau de Solaison should decide the final overall winner, but stage 3 can decide who enters that mountain block with options and who is already chasing.
That is why this team time trial matters. It may not deliver the emotional drama of a summit finish, but it can quietly change the whole race.
Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 stage 3 live viewing summary
Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes 2026 stage 3 takes place on Tuesday, 9th June, with a 28.4km team time trial around Perreux. Team Picnic PostNL start first at 14:05 BST, and EF Education-EasyPost start last at 15:29 BST.
UK viewers can watch the stage live on TNT Sports and HBO Max. The key viewing window should begin around 14:45 BST, with the strongest GC teams starting in the second half of the schedule.
Baudin starts in yellow and blue, but his 32-second lead is vulnerable. Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team, UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Lidl-Trek all have the depth to reshape the GC before the race returns to road stages.
