Overview
- UAE Team Emirates‑XRG looked dominant with back‑to‑back wins, but Tadej Pogacar’s Stage 3 victory on Monday did not protect him from Stage 4’s shakeup.
- A 34‑rider breakaway on Tuesday built a decisive gap that produced Mads Pedersen’s stage win and elevated Torstein Traeen into the yellow jersey with roughly a 28‑second lead.
- Traeen kept the lead after Wednesday’s Stage 5 sprint, when Dutch debutant Olav Kooij won the stage and the main peloton finished 14 seconds later with the GC favourites together.
- Race organisers have limited spectator access near wildfires and introduced heat measures such as extra feeding zones and allowing ice and water in clothing to protect riders in temperatures above 38°C.
- The race now moves into the high Pyrenees, including Col du Tourmalet and Gavarnie‑Gèdre, where the overall battle between Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and other contenders is expected to be decided.