Narvaez powers to victory on stage 3 of the Tour de Suisse

Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) powered to victory in a messy uphill sprint on stage 3 of the Tour de Suisse 2026. The Ecuadorian champion timed his effort perfectly from a reduced peloton to hold off Xandro Meurisse (Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) in second, with Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility) taking third.

A large group contested the finale after a hilly day that saw the pure sprinters distanced. All the main general classification contenders, including Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), finished safely in the front group, meaning no changes at the top of the overall standings.

A four-rider breakaway formed in the early kilometres, consisting of Fabian Weiss (Tudor Pro Cycling Team), Cédric Beullens (Lotto-Intermarché), Xabier Azparren (Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), and Ewen Costiou (Groupama-FDJ United).

The quartet established a maximum advantage of around four minutes. Behind, the peloton was marshalled by the teams of the puncheurs and GC favourites, who were content to let the break hover out front for much of the day.

On the final categorised climbs, the pace in the peloton increased significantly, thinning the bunch and sealing the breakaway's fate. The last remnants of the escape were caught inside the final 20 km, setting up a showdown where Narvaez timed his effort to perfection in the twisting run-in.

• Jhonatan Narvaez's win is a classic example of his ability to triumph in tough, uphill finishes. It gives UAE Team Emirates-XRG a stage victory while their GC leader, Tadej Pogačar, stayed safe in the wheels.
• Xandro Meurisse's second place is a standout performance for Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, a huge result for a ProTeam against WorldTour opposition.
• The stage fatigued the peloton without causing a major GC shakeup. The main contenders marked each other ahead of more decisive mountain stages.
• The list of classics specialists in the top 10, including Magnus Cort and Mathieu van der Poel, underscores that this was a day for the puncheurs, not climbers or pure sprinters.