Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 2026 Stage 3 Team Time Trial Start Times

The Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 2026 stage 3 team time trial start times were revealed by Cyclingnews on June 8, 2026, with EF Education-EasyPost taking the lead thanks to Alex Baudin. Baudin, after a solo attack on stage 1, claimed the maillot jaune, holding a 32-second advantage over nine riders, including Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Kevin Vermaerke (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). Other key general classification contenders like Paul Seixas (Decathlon), Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) trailed by 44 seconds.

The 28.4km circuit, which featured both climbs and descents, had competitors starting with a 4.9km climb averaging 3.5%, followed by a technical descent and another ascent before a sharp climb in the final 800 metres. Netcompany Ineos, previously victorious in a flatter team time trial during Paris-Nice, entered with a strong lineup, with Kévin Vauquelin and Oscar Onley sitting seventh and eighth at 32 seconds. Lidl-Trek, who finished second in Paris-Nice, looked to close the gap with riders like Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose at 44 seconds behind.

For Seixas, the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes served as a proving ground for the forthcoming Tour de France, as his Decathlon team, despite missing Matthew Riccitello, boasted strong riders like Stefan Bissegger and Daan Hoole. Visma-Lease a Bike aimed to capitalize on Ben Tulett’s position in fifth overall, utilizing Edoardo Affini, Bruno Armirail, and Wout van Aert. On the other hand, UAE Team Emirates-XRG needed to recover some ground for Del Toro.

The team time trial format stipulated that the riders’ times are recorded when they cross the finish line rather than when the fourth rider from the team finishes, motivating teams with multiple leaders, like Netcompany Ineos, to keep their riders together for an efficient finish.

The start times for stage 3 were as follows:
1. Team Picnic PostNl 15:05:00
2. Lotto Intermarche 15:09:00
3. NSN Cycling Team 15:13:00
4. Jayco Alula 15:17:00
5. Totalenergies 15:21:00
6. Bahrain Victorious 15:25:00
7. Cofidis 15:29:00
8. Tudor 15:33:00
9. Caja Rural-Seguros RGA 15:37:00
10. Alpecin-Premier Tech 15:41:00
11. Soudal Quick-Step 15:45:00
12. UAE Team Emirates XRG 15:49:00
13. Movistar Team 15:53:00
14. XDS Astana 15:57:00
15. Lidl-Trek 16:01:00
16. Decathlon CMA CGM 16:05:00
17. Uno-X Mobility 16:09:00
18. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe 16:13:00
19. Netcompany Ineos 16:17:00
20. Visma-Lease a Bike 16:21:00
21. Groupama-FDJ United 16:25:00
22. EF Education-Easypost 16:29:00

Cyclingnews remains committed to delivering comprehensive live coverage and analysis of stage 3.