Stage 3 Breakdown:

Stage 3 takes the riders on a demanding 196km journey from Granollers in Spain to the mountain resort of Les Angles in France. After two days suited to time trial specialists and puncheurs, the Tour heads straight into the Pyrenees for the first real mountain test of the race. The stage features nearly 3900m of elevation gain and five categorized climbs, with most of the climbing packed into the second half of the day.

The highlight of the day is the long ascent of the Collada de Toses, followed later by the Col du Calvaire, which at 1,836 meters above sea level marks the highest point of the stage. Despite being the first mountain stage of the Tour, the profile is not steep enough to guarantee fireworks between the GC favorites. In fact, the stage could be ideal for a strong breakaway. With the yellow jersey likely changing hands and the GC contenders reluctant to take on the burden of race leadership so early, many teams will be eager to send riders up the road.

The stage concludes with a 4.7km climb to Les Angles averaging 4.6%, although the final 1.7km ramps up to around 6.5%. It is a finish that favors strong climbers with an explosive kick rather than the pure mountain goats. If the breakaway gets enough freedom, the stage winner could very well also ride into the yellow jersey.

Favorites:
| +++ | Lennert Van Eetvelt, Alex Baudin, Tom Pidcock
| ++ | Harold Tejada, Giulio Ciccone, Iván Romeo, 
| + | Pello Bilbao, David Gaudu, Pablo Castrillo, Warren Barguil