Pogačar conquers Pyrenees stage and reclaims Yellow Jersey

Pogačar, who rides for UAE Team Emirates, secured both the stage win and the overall lead. However, his advantage over Vingegaard is less than a second, as both are nominally tied on a total time of 8:46:55 hours. The Yellow Jersey is awarded to Pogačar only on the basis of the better stage placings countback.

Overall standings on a knife-edge

„Ich hatte im Finish ein bisschen Extrapower. Schön, wenn die Tour so startet“, said Pogačar at the finish. He also thanked his teammate Isaac del Toro of Mexico, who had set up the final attack: „Wegen Isaac hatte ich heute etwas extra Power. Er hat heute mehr als hundert Prozent gegeben, das ganze Team eigentlich.“ His 22nd career Tour stage win underlines his exceptional status: only four riders in history have more stage victories at the French race.

The stage was shaped by an extreme elevation profile with 3,850 meters of climbing and high temperatures that produced big gaps in the bunch early on. A breakaway group controlled the action for a long time before the last remaining fugitive Alex Baudin was caught roughly twelve kilometers from the finish. At the foot of the final climb to Les Angles, the top favorites Pogačar, Vingegaard, Seixas and Remco Evenepoel were still together before the UAE captain launched his decisive attack.

Behind the two leaders, Belgian Remco Evenepoel of Team Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe lies third overall at 23 seconds. Fourth is Isaac del Toro at 24 seconds, Juan Ayuso of Spain is fifth at 27 seconds. Seixas is sixth, 48 seconds back; German Florian Lipowitz sits seventh overall at 53 seconds and also finished seventh on the stage.

„Es war ein super harter Tag, der Start war super schnell. Und ich habe auch ein bisschen mit der Hitze zu kämpfen gehabt. Aber das Team hat einen super Job gemacht mit Eis und Wasser“, said Lipowitz in an ARD interview. His team manager Ralph Denk spoke of a „richtigen Ekeltempo im Feld“ but expressed satisfaction with his riders' performance in the hot conditions of the mid-mountain terrain.

Forest fire overshadows the stage

The stage took place against the backdrop of a wildfire raging in a remote mountain massif roughly 70 kilometers from Les Angles that had already destroyed some 4,600 hectares of land. A firefighter and a resident were seriously injured according to the report, and around 10,000 people had to be evacuated. Because of the fire, fueled by wind, heat and unusually dry air, organizers and authorities urged fans to avoid the final section of the route in France.

„Wegen eines Waldbrandes in der Region hatten die Veranstalter und die Behörden Fans aufgerufen, nicht an den letzten Teil der Strecke in Frankreich zu kommen“, the statement read. „Die Feuerwehr und andere Einsatzkräfte sollten sich ganz auf die Brandbekämpfung konzentrieren können.“ Tour director Christian Prudhomme had appealed to the public the previous day: „Wir bitten die Öffentlichkeit, sich weder in der Nähe der Rennstrecke noch am Zielort aufzuhalten.“ Violations of the spectator ban could be punished with a fine.

Despite the appeal, numerous spectators turned up especially on the last two climbs; a curfew for residents was not imposed. The usual publicity caravan of the Tour entourage was dropped for the stage. The four-time Tour winner Pogačar, who started the race as defending champion, took over the overall lead for the first time in this 113th edition with his stage victory.

„Dank der Zeitgutschrift übernimmt der Titelverteidiger damit auch erstmals die Gesamtführung“, the dpa news agency commented on the change at the top. Pogačar also leads Vingegaard narrowly in the placings countback, with finishes of one, two and three against the Dane's one, two and four. „Aber dank der Bonifikationen setzte sich Pogacar denkbar knapp vor den Dänen“, the report continued.

Elevation profile and heat as factors

Pogačar had already caused a stir the previous day when he let his Mexican super-domestique Isaac del Toro take the stage win in a shorter uphill sprint. On Monday, the 27-year-old returned to the winning path himself and claimed the first of his targeted stage victories at this Tour. The Slovenian exceptional rider, described in coverage as a „Superstar“ and of „unglaublicher Stärke“, underlined his ambitions for a fifth overall title at an early stage.

„In der Mitte des Rennens haben wir uns dazu entschieden, dass der Etappensieg möglich ist“, Pogačar explained the race strategy. „Ich bin sehr glücklich, dass wir die Tour so gestartet haben.“ His teammate Felix Großschartner from Upper Austria did valuable work as a helper on the final climb and contributed, among other things, to bringing the breakaway back in time.

Behind Pogačar, Vingegaard and Carapaz, the stage placings were filled by Tobias Johannessen of Norway, Lennert van Eetvelt of Belgium, Florian Lipowitz, Remco Evenepoel, Isaac del Toro and Juan Ayuso – all four seconds back. Among the Austrian riders, Großschartner finished 49th at 5:02 minutes down, while Marco Haller came in 180th at 38:12 minutes back.

Outlook on the fourth stage

Organizers also warned of the ongoing wildfire risk for the coming stages. The fourth stage on Tuesday covers 182 kilometers from Carcassonne to Foix and features four categorized climbs, including the second-category Col de Montségur. Temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius are expected, likely intensifying the heat battle for the riders.

„Auf der vierten Etappe könnte es zwischen Carcassonne und Foix eine Chance für Ausreißer oder robuste Sprinter geben“, the preview read. Another heat battle awaits on Tuesday as well, with temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius. The high temperatures and ongoing dryness also mean that the wildfire danger along the route remains elevated.

After two days in Barcelona, where the 113th Tour began on July 4 with a 19.6-kilometer individual time trial, the peloton headed toward the Pyrenees on Monday. The Tour de France comprises 21 stages in total and finishes on July 26 on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The riders therefore still have 18 stages ahead before the winner is decided in the capital.