Stage 3 of the 2026 Tour de France covers 195.9 kilometres from Granollers to Les Angles on Monday, July 6, carrying the race across the border from Spain into France. It is the first mountain stage of this year’s Tour, with 3,850 metres of climbing packed mostly into the second half.

Two days in, the general classification contenders have been waiting for exactly this. The flat opening stages settle nerves. The mountains settle arguments.

Four Climbs and an Uphill Finish

The route includes four categorised climbs. The hardest is the Category 1 Col de Toses, 9.3 kilometres at an average gradient of 6.5 percent.

The finish rises too. The final climb to Les Angles is rated Category 3 and averages 6.5 percent, steep enough to hurt but short enough to keep the pure climbers from riding away. That profile favors punchy riders who can hold power on a late ramp.

What the GC Teams Will Do

Nobody wins the Tour on the first mountain stage, but riders lose it there every few years. A bad day on the Col de Toses can cost minutes that never come back.

Expect the main contenders’ teams to control the pace on the Cat 1 climb and keep their leaders protected until the final effort. The stage win itself may go to a breakaway if the GC group decides the summit finish is not worth a full fight this early.

A Border Crossing With History

The 2026 route began in Spain, and stage 3 is the transition into home roads. Les Angles sits in the Pyrenees region of southern France, putting the race straight into high country the moment it crosses over.

From here the Tour has nearly three weeks left, and the early mountain days tend to tell us who arrived with real form.

Stage 3 finishes atop the climb at Les Angles on Monday evening, the first summit finish of the 2026 Tour.

References

Olympics.com. (2026). Tour de France 2026. Stage 3 preview, Monday 6 July. Route, profile, schedule, climbs, and how to watch live. Published July 2026.