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

EF Education-EasyPost head into the stage 3 team time trial of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (fka Critérium du Dauphiné) with the overall race lead on the shoulders of Alex Baudin.

The Frenchman claimed the maillot jaune on stage 1 with a solo attack from the day’s breakaway, and leads the race by 32 seconds over nine riders, led by Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Kevin Vermaerke (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). The bulk of the GC contenders like Paul Seixas (Decathlon), Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) are 44 seconds in arrears.

The team time trial – an undulating 28.4km circuit in Perreux – starts with a 4.9km climb averaging 3.5% to the first time check, then has a twisting, technical descent followed by a shallow climb to the second. A sharp climb in the final 800 metres caps off the demanding parcours.

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During Paris-Nice, a much flatter team time trial of 23.5km went to Netcompany Ineos, and the team have a similar lineup for the stage, with Kévin Vauquelin and Oscar Onley lying seventh and eighth overall at 32 seconds.

Lidl-Trek, second in Paris-Nice, will be motivated to gain time as Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose are at 44 seconds.

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The Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is a Tour de France proving ground for Seixas, and his Decathlon team – third in the Paris-Nice TTT – are already missing Matthew Riccitello, but have two powerful engines in Stefan Bissegger and Daan Hoole.

Visma-Lease a Bike are in a strong position with Ben Tulett in fifth overall, while Jorgenson is in the 44-second group. They’ll be relying on Edoardo Affini, Bruno Armirail and Wout van Aert to power their squad.

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UAE Team Emirates-XRG, meanwhile, will be fighting to make up ground for Del Toro.

The team time trial format is unique in that each rider’s time on the general classification comes when they cross the line – not when the fourth rider of the team crosses, as was the case in past team time trials.

That means that teams with dual leaders, like Netcompany Ineos, will want to stay together and deliver both riders to the finish as quickly as possible.

What to read next

Tune into Cyclingnews for full live coverage of stage 3 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and follow each team’s strategy as it unfolds.

Picnic-PostNL are the first team down the ramp at 15:05 CET, while Del Toro is the first major GC contender for the Tour to start at 15:49.

Seixas’ team roll out at 16:05, and Netcompany-Ineos start at 16:17. EF Education-EasyPost chase after them all at 16:29.

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Swipe to scroll horizontally2026 Criterium du Dauphiné/Tour Auvergne Rhône-Alpes stage 3 start times

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Team

Start time

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