Pogacar takes Tour yellow with sweltering stage three win

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) secured victory on stage three of the Tour de France, a 195.9km route from Granollers to Les Angles, with a late surge to the line. The Slovenian also assumed the yellow jersey after bonus points brought him level with Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), who had held the lead since Saturday's opener.

Pogacar launched his decisive move with about half a kilometer to go, catching Vingegaard and France's Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM) off guard. He was paced up the final climb by teammate Isaac del Toro, who had led him the previous day. The stage took place in extreme heat in the Pyrenees, where fans were advised to avoid the finish area in Les Angles due to wildfires. Temperatures in southwestern France are expected to reach 40°C again this week.

Pogacar, 27, is chasing his fifth Tour de France title, which would tie him with cycling legends Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain. After the stage, he praised his team for their commitment and said taking yellow is a dream for any cyclist.

Stage results: 1. Pogacar 4:45:11, 2. Vingegaard +2s, 3. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-Easypost) same time. General classification: 1. Pogacar 8:46:55, 2. Vingegaard same time, 3. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +23s.