Results Vuelta a Andalucia 2026 Stage 3 | Milan Fretin edges Penhoet & Laporte dramatic photo finish sprint
Cycling
Milan Fretin powered to victory on Stage 3 of the Vuelta a Andalucia, emerging from a high-speed bunch sprint in Lopera after the longest day of the race resolved into a compact and controlled finale.
The 180.9 kilometre stage from Jaen had been animated for much of the afternoon by an early four rider breakaway featuring Josh Burnett, Nicolas Alustiza, Giosue Epis and Samuel Florez. The quartet built an advantage approaching three minutes across the opening half of the stage, with Burnett claiming maximum points on Alto Santa Ana and Alto de Penallana to strengthen his position in the mountains classification.
Behind, however, the tone gradually shifted.
Visma drive the chase but Cofidis strike
Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Uno X Mobility steadily increased the tempo through the second half of the stage, reducing the gap from over two minutes to just 15 seconds with 15 kilometres remaining as the peloton approached the final climb of Porcuna.
The ascent of Porcuna, 2.5 kilometres at 3.6 per cent and cresting 12.9 kilometres from the finish, did not produce significant separation. The peloton remained compact over the to,p and the four leaders were swept up shortly afterwards as the pace intensified.
From there, the stage transitioned fully into sprint mode. The bunch stretched under sustained speed, but no decisive splits emerged. Inside the final kilometre, Team Visma | Lease a Bike moved three riders to the front to set up Christophe Laporte, who launched his sprint from near the head of the peloton. Fretin proved faster.
The Cofidis rider surged past in a close finish to claim the stage win, denying Laporte and Paul Penhoet in a tight photo finish.
Ivan Romeo, who had started the day with a seven-second advantage over Andreas Leknessund in the general classification, finished safely in the bunch as the overall standings remained intact following a stage that had threatened selection but ultimately delivered a full-speed sprint.
Stage 3 shed its early breakaway script and concluded with a compact run-in, as Fretin capitalised on the work of others to secure victory on the longest stage of this year’s race.
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Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026
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