Mads Pedersen sprinted to victory. © APA/afp / JEFF PACHOUD

Pogacar voluntarily relinquishes yellow card – Pedersen wins

Tadej Pogacar lost his yellow jersey on the fourth stage of the Tour de France. On a sweltering day, Norwegian Torstein Traeen snatched the coveted Maillot Jaune and now leads the overall standings of the French Tour.

July 07, 2026

From: dpa

Traeen is only the third Norwegian ever to wear the yellow jersey. Defending champion Pogacar made little effort to stop the 30-year-old after taking the jersey the previous day. The top riders, including the Slovenian and his Danish rival Jonas Vingegaard, finished more than 13 minutes behind.

Mads Pedersen won the stage decisively, sprinting to victory from the breakaway group. The Danish former world champion triumphed after the 181,9 kilometers between Carcassonne and Foix, celebrating his third Tour de France stage win. American and Pedersen's teammate Quinn Simmons finished second, while Spaniard Raul Garcia took third place.

Brutal heat in the south of France

Temperatures in southern France climbed to 40 degrees Celsius. Ice packs on the back of the neck and intense thirst were commonplace among the peloton. The UCI, cycling's governing body, exceptionally decided that entire food and drink bags could also be distributed in the zones normally reserved for water bottles, to facilitate the simultaneous distribution of multiple bottles to each rider.

Heat dominated in southern France. © ANSA / YOAN VALAT

Wednesday's race will be all about the sprinters. The 158,3-kilometer route between Lannemezan and Pau in southern France features no major climbs, with only one short category 3 ascent. Top sprinter Jasper Philipsen from Belgium won this race in 2024.