On Monday afternoon, the peloton set off from Spain into French territory. From the start in Catalonia, the third stage was animated throughout. With four categorized climbs on the route, the parcours invited early attacks. Although numerous breakaway attempts failed, a group of eighteen riders eventually managed to establish the day's break. Their advantage, however, never grew very large. Meanwhile, Bruno Armirail was involved in a crash but was able to continue.

With around ten kilometers remaining, and the climb to Les Angles looming, the final attacker was caught. That left the battle for the stage victory in the Pyrenees to the general classification contenders. Thanks to strong teamwork, Team Visma | Lease a Bike put Vingegaard into an ideal position heading into the final corner. In the uphill sprint, Pogačar proved to be the strongest. The Slovenian gained two seconds, meaning Vingegaard now sits second in the general classification.

“We would have been perfectly happy if the breakaway had fought for the stage win today. It became clear quite early in the stage that UAE Team Emirates wanted to go for the victory. In a sprint like that, it's always difficult to beat Tadej. In the general classification, we’re now exactly even. I’m satisfied with that", Vingegaard says afterward.

Leading Race Coach Marc Reef described it as a strong day for the team. “It was a very demanding stage with high temperatures. A long battle for the breakaway was a favorable scenario for us, but the race unfolded differently. After that, we did a good job of keeping Jonas in position, with Matteo and Sepp doing an excellent job deep into the finale. Jonas then produced a very strong sprint. We're very pleased with that.”