Results Tour of Slovenia 2026 Stage 3 - Laurence Pithie survives Celjska koca test before sprinting to second win in thrilling finale

Laurence Pithie turned the first real climbing test of the 2026 Tour of Slovenia into another Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe victory, sprinting to his second stage win in three days after surviving Celjska koca on stage 3.

The New Zealander had started the day in green after winning stage 1 and finishing second on stage 2, but the 133.5km route from Maribor to Celje looked like the moment the race could begin to move towards the general classification riders.

Planina na Pohorju and Celjska koca both gave the climbers room to test him before Saturday’s queen stage.

Instead, Pithie made it through the decisive climb in the front group, followed a dangerous move on the descent, then finished off Red Bull’s work in the reduced sprint. Stefano Oldani took second for Caja Rural - Seguros RGA, with Ivan Cobo third for Equipo Kern Pharma and Edoardo Zambanini fourth for Bahrain Victorious.

The early break of Erik Fetter, Paul Wright and Marcel Gladek gave the stage its opening shape, with Wright taking maximum points over Planina na Pohorju. Their move was never allowed enough room to seriously threaten the stage once Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe took control of the peloton.

By the foot of Celjska koca, the gap had fallen sharply. Wright briefly pressed on alone, but he was caught as Jan Tratnik drove the pace for Red Bull on the final classified climb.

Tratnik’s work thinned the bunch, yet Pithie remained in position alongside the GC riders. Jakob Omrzel also stayed prominent for Bahrain Victorious, while Florian Lipowitz moved through the climb without needing to force a major attack.

Samuel Fernandez Garcia led over Celjska koca for Caja Rural - Seguros RGA, ahead of Lipowitz and Jon Agirre Egana, but the climb did not create the decisive split many had expected. A sizeable group remained in contention over the top before the race dropped back towards Celje.

The stage briefly threatened to change shape on the descent when Unai Iribar Jauregi attacked for Equipo Kern Pharma. Pithie responded to the move, turning a day that had been expected to expose him into one where he was again active at the front of the race.

Iribar’s move faded before the final 15km, and the reduced peloton came back together for the run into Celje. Around 40 riders remained in the front group, with Tratnik still setting the tone for Red Bull as the finish approached.

Red Bull then tried one final disruption inside the last kilometre. Mattia Cattaneo accelerated and opened a small gap, but he was caught almost immediately as the sprint wound up behind him.

Pithie still had enough left to finish the job. After surviving the climbs and the descent, he delivered again in Celje, beating Oldani and Cobo to strengthen his grip on the race before the queen stage.