Vingegaard loses the yellow jersey but smiles: "I expected to be worse."

Jonas Vingegaard admits it was a shame to see the yellow jersey snatched from him by Tadej Pogačar, but the Danish champion chose to look at the glass half full after stage three of the 2026 Tour de France.

The Visma-Lease a Bike rider was distanced by Pogačar 's devastating attack on the final ramp of the Les Angles climb, losing two seconds at the finish line plus another four in time bonuses. A total of six seconds that upended the overall standings... but only formally.

The two rivals are now tied at the top of the general classification, with the yellow jersey having passed to the Slovenian due to their better combined placings in the first two road stages. A regulatory mockery, not a time-based defeat.

"It's clear that I'm losing the leader's jersey, and it's a shame, of course. But with a finish like this, I think I can be quite satisfied," Vingegaard told Danish TV2. "We're now on par, and that's good for us. We were perhaps expecting to be a bit behind at this point, so it's a good starting point."

The stage looked set for a long breakaway, but Pogačar's UAE Team Emirates domestiques took control of the situation to set up their captain's victory. Visma-Lease a Bike also participated in controlling the race, keeping the breakaway within striking distance before UAE decided to strike.

A breakaway victory would have denied Pogačar the chance to sprint to the finish and spared Vingegaard that six-second gap. On the other hand, the Dane is now free from the responsibilities, stress, and post-stage commitments that come with wearing the yellow jersey.

"It was quite a tough stage, but I think we're doing well and defending well," added Vingegaard.

The Glyngøre champion has made similar remarks in the opening stages of recent editions of the Tour, often characterized by explosive stages that favor the more reactive Pogačar. His thesis is always the same: his strengths emerge on the big climbs of the true mountain stages, and that's where the yellow jersey is truly earned or lost.

Vingegaard has been right in the past, but it's equally true that Pogačar has dominated him in the high mountains in the last two editions. The final verdict remains to be written.

Fantacycling tips: With the two big names tied after just three days, the race is already exciting. Vingegaard looks solid and manages losses well on the shorter stages. Pogačar is consistently accumulating points and bonus points. For those betting on the general classification, both remain excellent bets, but be careful: in the upcoming mountain stages, the Dane could make a difference again.