Results Tour de France 2026 Stage 4 - Scandinavia steals the show in Foix as Mads Pedersen wins from the breakaway and Torstein Traeen takes yellow jersey from Pogacar

Stage 4 of the 2026 Tour de France finished in Foix, and the Tour's first 'baroudeur' stage was a breakaway fest. Lidl-Trek put in a stellar collective performance, featuring many of their strong figures at the head of the race and controlling it to launch Mads Pedersen into a brilliant stage victory in the Pyrenees.

The fourth stage of the race began in Carcassonne and was a day that most knew would favour the breakaway. Hence, early in the day dozens of riders made their move to try and succeed in the day. Without an attempt from UAE Team Emirates - XRG or Team Visma | Lease a Bike to control the escaping groups, and Lidl-Trek quickly putting in the effort to be part of the front group instead of working for a sprint for Mads Pedersen, it quickly became apparent the win was up front.

After around half hour of racing, over 30 riders managed to go up the road in separate groups and then unite with a lead up front. Big hitters were present in the head of the race including Lidl-Trek trio of Mathias Vacek, Quinn Simmons and Mads Pedersen; Romain Grégoire, Michael Matthews, Jasper Stuyven, Kévin Vauquelin; sprinters such as Jasper Philipsen and Biniam Girmay; and also secondary GC men Torstein Traeen and Sean Quinn who had a shot at stealing the yellow jersey.

The action behind was stalled with no urge to chase, and UAE happily letting the gap grow to a large amount of minutes so the team would not have to undergo extensive podium and media duties with Tadej Pogacar. Up front Jan Tratnik was the first rider to put in a real move with 83 kilometers to go, followed by Lidl's Vacek who then did not collaborate so as to benefit the team's strategy to bring it back to a sprint.

No attack was successful before the ascent to the Col de Montségur - 6.9Km at 6.1% - where EF put in a strong dig for Quinn. The group was thinned down to around a dozen riders, with all Lidl-Trek riders looking to control the situation. Pedersen was dropped on a few occasions but had strong legs and had both Vacek and Simmons guiding him over the summit of the climb with just over 30 kilometers to go.

10 riders would go clear up front, with the trio being joined by Quinn and Traeen - the two yellow jersey contenders, Kévin Vauquelin, Ramses Debruyne, Marco Frigo and Movistar duo Pablo Castrillo and Raúl García Pierna.

There was no shortage of attacks. With the exception of Traeen who often collaborated with the German team, almost every member of the front group tried their luck in the rolling finale, but would not crack the armour that was both Vacek and Simmons' presence. The final corner also saw Kévin Vauquelin risk with an early sprint, but Pedersen's dash to the line was unmatched.

Lidl-Trek absolutely dominated the finale, with Quinn Simmons taking second place at the finish line. The peloton would only arrive around a dozen minutes later, whilst Torstein Traeen secured the race lead.