Tadej Pogačar has moved into the top five for all-time Tour de France stage wins having claimed victory on stage three of the 2026 race, moving into the yellow jersey in the process.
Pogačar distanced Jonas Vingegaard on the uphill finish to Les Angles and the Dane simply had no response to his rival’s acceleration.
Pogačar can seemingly win at ease at the Tour de France – the four-time champion effectively gifted his team-mate, Isaac del Toro, the win on Sunday’s stage – and that proved to be the case once again in the eastern Pyrenees.
“It’s because of him,” said Pogačar at the finish, referring to del Toro, who won stage two. “It’s because of Issac today, I got some extra power in the final.
"In the middle of the stage, we decided it’s possible to go for the stage win. I’m really happy we started the Tour like this. It’s an incredible stage today.
"To take the yellow jersey is a dream of any cyclist. Every time I put it on my shoulders again, it feels really special."
Pogačar put a two-second time gap into Vingegaard at the stage three finish and earned a ten-second time bonus as a result of his victory, with Vingegaard securing a six-second bonus.
That puts Pogačar and Vinegaard on the same time in the general classification after three stages, but sees Pogačar pull on the yellow jersey on countback.
Tadej Pogačar draws level with André Darrigade in stage-win standings
A 22nd stage win for Pogačar sees the Slovenian move level with French sprinter André Darrigade in the all-time standings. Darrigade won his 22 stages between 1953 and 1964.
Mark Cavendish holds the record for the most Tour de France stage wins, with 35 victories to his name. Cavendish replaced Eddy Merckx in the record books when he claimed his final stage win in 2024.
Bernard Hinault (28) sits third on the list of stage winners, with André Leducq (25) fourth.
Pogačar pursuit of cycling records knows no bounds and, with four overall titles to his name, the 27-year-old is also gunning for a record-equalling fifth Tour de France victory.
That would put Pogačar level with Merckx, Hinault and Jacques Anquetil on five wins, and cement the UAE Team Emirates-XRG star as one of the Tour’s all-time greats – if not the greatest.
| Name | Number of stage wins |
| Mark Cavendish | 35 |
| Eddy Merckx | 34 |
| Bernard Hinault | 28 |
| André Leducq | 25 |
| André Darrigade | 22 |
| Tadej Pogačar | 22 |
| Nicolas Frantz | 20 |
| François Faber | 19 |
| Jean Alavoine | 17 |
| Jacques Anquetil | 16 |
| René Le Grevès | 16 |
| Charles Pélissier | 16 |
