The day after the GC contenders battled for victory, several teams sensed that the breakaway could finally be given some room to go clear.
Convinced this was the right opportunity, Team TotalEnergies made sure to be at the front from the very beginning of Stage 3 of the Tour de France.
After dozens of kilometres of relentless attacking, with almost the entire squad trying their luck, a group of 18 riders finally managed to break away. Among them were two Team TotalEnergies riders: Joris Delbove and the ever-aggressive Mattéo Vercher, both giving everything at the front.
The breakaway, however, was never allowed more than a three-minute advantage. Despite several attacks that briefly reignited the escapees’ hopes, the peloton kept the pressure on. One by one, riders began to lose contact. Mattéo Vercher held on impressively for a long time before eventually being dropped shortly after crossing back into France.
Speaking after the finish, Vercher said:
We wanted to be on the attack today. There’s obviously some frustration because we were never really given enough freedom to build a significant gap. The advantage just wasn’t big enough for us to believe we could fight for the stage win.
But it’s only postponed. I felt good physically today, and I still think there’s room for me to improve as the race goes on.
As expected, UAE Team Emirates controlled the race for the overall contenders, with the stage victory ultimately decided among the favourites. Supported for a long time by Nicolas Breuillard, Jordan Jegat stayed with the best riders and finished a solid 14th on the first real mountain test of this Tour. He now sits 17th overall in the general classification.
Tomorrow, the peloton rolls out from Carcassonne for a stage profile that once again looks well suited to the breakaway specialists.
