The Tour de France reaches the mountains early this year.
After two opening days in Spain, Monday’s third stage takes the peloton from Granollers to Les Angles, where the first real climbing test of the race awaits. Jonas Vingegaard starts the day in the yellow jersey, but this is not expected to be the kind of stage that decides the Tour.
It is more likely to be a tactical day, one where the general classification riders measure each other, while a strong breakaway may sense a rare opportunity.
According to the official Tour de France stage profile, the stage is 195.9 kilometres long, with 3,850 metres of elevation gain and an expected finish at 16:54 local time.
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A lighter Pyrenean test
The stage has the look of a mountain day, but not necessarily the brutality of a full general classification showdown.
The route climbs from Spain into the Pyrenees before finishing in Les Angles, almost 1,800 metres above sea level. The hardest climb is the Col de Toses, a category-one ascent that comes with 68.2 kilometres remaining.
According to the official Tour de France stage profile, the Col de Toses is 9.3 kilometres long at an average gradient of 6.5 percent.
That climb should reduce the peloton, but its distance from the finish makes it difficult to use as a decisive launchpad for the overall favourites.
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After that, the riders face the Col du Calvaire, listed by the Tour as 11.4 kilometres at 4.1 percent, before the final classified climb to Les Angles. The finish itself is 1.8 kilometres at 6.5 percent, sharp enough to create splits, but probably not long enough to create major damage among the very best.
Breakaway hopes remain alive
The big question is whether the stage goes to the breakaway or the favourites.
According to Cyclingnews, the profile offers both possibilities. The early category-three Côte de Saint Feliu de Codines could help a strong group get away, while the later climbs provide enough difficulty for the favourites’ teams to take control if they want a stage win.
That uncertainty may define the day.
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UAE Team Emirates-XRG have already shown their appetite for aggressive racing, with Isaac del Toro winning Stage 2 in Barcelona after support from Tadej Pogačar. If Pogačar wants another opportunity, UAE have the strength to make the race hard.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe could also have reason to chase if Remco Evenepoel believes the finish suits him.
According to TV 2 Sport, cycling expert Emil Axelgaard said the stage is close to a 50-50 call between the breakaway and the favourites, with much depending on what Red Bull decide to do.
Visma may not defend yellow at all costs
For Visma | Lease a Bike, the situation is different.
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Vingegaard has the yellow jersey, but defending it this early in the Tour can become expensive. If the right breakaway goes clear, Visma may be happy to let another rider take the overall lead, as long as no direct rival becomes dangerous.
According to TV 2 Sport, Axelgaard noted that Visma had already suggested they were not desperate to hold the jersey.
“Marc Reef already hinted before today’s stage that they are happy to give the jersey away, and their riding on the stage also clearly indicated that they would not have taken control if others had not done so,” he said.
That could change the whole stage.
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If Visma refuse to chase and UAE or Red Bull hesitate, the breakaway may quickly build a lead. If one of the major teams decides the stage is worth controlling, the final climb could become a fight between Pogačar, Evenepoel, Vingegaard and the other overall contenders.
Wildfires change the atmosphere
The stage will also be shaped by events away from the sporting battle.
Wildfires in the Pyrénées-Orientales have forced restrictions on the French section of the route. According to The Guardian, the stage will go ahead, but without spectators on the affected section and without the Tour’s publicity caravan.
The same report states that only riders and essential organisation vehicles will be allowed through part of the route, after local authorities moved to protect emergency access.
That means the race’s first mountain finish will not have the usual roadside noise on French territory.
For the riders, the sporting task remains the same. For the Tour, however, it will be an unusual and subdued arrival in the Pyrenees.
Small gaps, big signals
Stage 3 is unlikely to blow the Tour apart.
The route is hard, but not extreme. The final climb is steep enough for bonus seconds and small gaps, but not long enough to guarantee a major battle between the overall favourites.
Still, the day matters.
Vingegaard will want to show control in yellow. Pogačar may look for another small gain after Stage 2. Evenepoel could see the finale as a chance to prove he belongs in the same conversation. And behind them, teams will be watching closely to see who looks comfortable when the road rises.
The Tour’s first Pyrenean stage may not decide the race, but it should reveal plenty about the balance of power.
