Results Etoile de Bessèges 2026 Stage 3 | Henri Uhlig emerges from attack filled finale after race repeatedly blows apart

Stage 3 of the Etoile de Besseges ended with a reduced sprint after a relentlessly aggressive final hour finally snapped back together inside the last 15 kilometres, setting the scene for Henri Uhlig of the Alpecin-Deceuninck team to take a dramatic first professional victory of his career.

The stage had been shaped earlier by a large breakaway that was never allowed much more than a minute, before the race fractured repeatedly on the climbs and through sustained pressure from the peloton. By the final 30 kilometres, attacks were flying from all directions, with teams intent on avoiding a passive regrouping.

As the race entered its final third, the pace began to bite hard. Riders were steadily dropped from the back as the peloton stretched into a long line, and the earlier breakaway splintered completely under repeated accelerations.

Several moves followed in quick succession. Ewen Costiou, Paul Lapeira and Clement Izquierdo all launched attacks in an attempt to force a decisive selection rather than allow the race to come back together.

Despite those efforts, the front of the race finally regrouped under pressure, leaving only a reduced peloton still in contention as the kilometres ticked down.

The final ten kilometres remained nerve-racking. Dylan Teuns attacked with just under three kilometres to go, briefly threatening to split the group once more, but the move was quickly neutralised.

With the race together inside the final kilometre, Lukas Kubis launched the sprint for Unibet Rose Rockets, but it was Uhlig who timed his effort best, coming through in the closing metres to claim the stage.

After a day defined by instability, repeated attacks and attrition, Stage 3 ultimately came down to speed on tired legs, with Uhlig emerging as the strongest finisher from a reduced group.