“I’m starting to become an expert at going for every bonus second” - Juan Ayuso takes control of Maillot Jaune at Paris-Nice 2026

Juan Ayuso emerged from the Stage 3 team time trial at Paris-Nice in the race lead, with the Lidl-Trek rider taking control of the Maillot Jaune after a dramatic reshuffle of the general classification.

Although Lidl-Trek narrowly missed out on the stage victory in the 23.5-kilometre test against the clock, finishing just seconds behind INEOS Grenadiers, Ayuso’s strong individual time within the team effort was enough to move him to the top of the standings.

After three stages, the Spanish rider leads the race by two seconds over Kevin Vauquelin, with INEOS teammate Oscar Onley a further second behind.

Despite taking the yellow jersey, Ayuso admitted he felt mixed emotions after the stage, with Lidl-Trek falling agonisingly short of the stage victory.

“When you lose by only two seconds, and the team does the job they did today, it hurts,” Ayuso said after the finish in conversation with Cycling Pro Net. “Not only the riders but all the staff were really committed. To lose by such a small margin is painful, but we still have days ahead where we can try to get that result.”

The Spanish rider was among the strongest performers in the final kilometres of the team time trial, completing the closing section of the course alone to stop the clock with a time that briefly placed Lidl-Trek in the provisional lead before INEOS completed their run.

Ayuso was quick to emphasise that the race remains wide open despite his new position at the top of the standings. “There are still many hard days to come here, so everything is still to play for. But it’s nice to be in yellow.”

The margins remain extremely tight, with several of the race’s major contenders clustered within seconds after the team time trial. Behind Ayuso, the INEOS pair of Vauquelin and Onley sit second and third, while Daan Hoole of Decathlon CMA CGM Team occupies fourth place at thirteen seconds.

The strongest representatives from Team Visma | Lease a Bike are also still well positioned, with Bruno Armirail, Davide Piganzoli and Jonas Vingegaard all within seventeen seconds of the lead.

Ayuso also highlighted the importance of bonus seconds in shaping the early stages of the race.

“I’m starting to become an expert at going for every bonus second,” he said with a smile. “I prefer longer climbs and a bit less stress, but I think I can defend myself quite well in those scenarios. If we can always be at the front, then it’s better.”

With the margins at the top of the classification still counted in seconds rather than minutes, Ayuso’s ability to collect those small time gains could yet prove decisive as the race moves into the more demanding stages later in the week.