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Torstein Traeen Takes Yellow After Breakaway; Pedersen Wins Stage 4

A large escape group on Tuesday built an eight‑minute gap that handed Traeen the race lead and highlighted how extreme heat and nearby wildfires are changing how the Tour is run.

Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 3 - Granollers to Les Angles - Les Angles, France - July 6, 2026  Team Visma | Lease a Bike's Jonas Vingegaard wearing the yellow jersey and UAE Team Emirates XRG's Tadej Pogacar in action with other cyclists during stage 3 REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 4 - Carcassonne to Foix - Foix, France - July 7, 2026 Lidl - Trek's Mads Pedersen and Lidl - Trek's Quinn Simmons celebrate together after Pedersen won stage 4 REUTERS/Thibault Camus
Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 3 - Granollers to Les Angles - Les Angles, France - July 6, 2026  UAE Team Emirates - XRG's Tadej Pogacar celebrates winning stage 3 REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 3 - Granollers to Les Angles - Les Angles, France - July 6, 2026  UAE Team Emirates - XRG's Tadej Pogacar celebrates winning stage 3 REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

Overview

  • Tadej Pogacar won Stage 3 on Monday with a late attack in Les Angles to claim his 22nd Tour stage and briefly wear the yellow jersey by countback and bonus seconds.
  • On Tuesday a 34‑rider breakaway stayed away to Foix and Mads Pedersen won the sprint, while Torstein Traeen finished in the break and assumed the yellow jersey with roughly an eight‑minute advantage over the main GC group.
  • Race organisers introduced special measures because of a heatwave and wildfires, including urging fans to avoid finish areas, extra feeding and ice for riders, and changes to how support is handled along the route.
  • UAE Team Emirates-XRG seized stage victories early but chose not to chase the large Stage 4 escape, a tactical decision that conserved energy for the mountains and let a non‑GC contender inherit the leader’s jersey.
  • The race now heads into the high Pyrenees where the main general classification battle is expected to reassert itself and where Traeen is likely to lose the yellow jersey as the top contenders resume direct competition.