Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 2026 stage 3 team time trial start times

EF Education-EasyPost enters stage 3 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, a team time trial (TTT), with Alex Baudin holding the overall race lead. Baudin secured the yellow jersey following a successful solo breakaway on stage 1 and currently leads a tightly packed group of contenders by 32 seconds. Key rivals include Ramses Debruyne of Alpecin-Premier Tech and Kevin Vermaerke from UAE Team Emirates-XRG, while other general classification (GC) hopefuls such as Paul Seixas, Isaac Del Toro, and Matteo Jorgenson trail by 44 seconds. The 28.4km TTT course in Perreux features a challenging profile, beginning with a steady 4.9km climb averaging 3.5%, followed by a technical descent and a shallow climb, finishing with a sharp ascent in the final 800 metres. This demanding route will test team coordination and rider endurance, with teams aiming to maximise their time gains ahead of the crucial stages to come. Recent form from Paris-Nice, where Netcompany Ineos and Lidl-Trek performed strongly in a flatter TTT, suggests a competitive battle among these squads, especially as riders like Kévin Vauquelin, Oscar Onley, Juan Ayuso, and Mattias Skjelmose look to improve their standings. A notable change in this TTT is the timing format, where each rider’s individual time counts towards the general classification rather than the traditional method of recording the time of the fourth rider across the line. This adjustment places a premium on teams with multiple leaders, such as Netcompany Ineos, who must ensure both top riders finish together to protect their GC positions. The strategic implications of this rule will be closely watched as teams balance pacing and rider support to optimise overall results. Start times for the stage are staggered, with Picnic-PostNL leading off at 15:05 CET and major GC contenders starting later in the afternoon. Isaac Del Toro’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG begins at 15:49, followed by Paul Seixas’ Decathlon team at 16:05, Netcompany Ineos at 16:17, and EF Education-EasyPost at 16:29. These timings set the stage for an intense afternoon of racing, with live coverage available to track the unfolding tactics and performances as the teams tackle this pivotal stage in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.