Pogačar claims third stage win at Tour de Romandie

Pogačar Wins Romandie Stage 4 Despite Carrying Extra Weight

Tadej Pogačar claimed his third stage victory at the 2026 Tour de Romandie on Saturday, soloing to the finish in Charmey after attacking on the final ascent of the Jaunpass and dropping his last remaining rival, Florian Lipowitz, in the closing kilometre of the climb. The world champion then candidly acknowledged post-stage that a gym-heavy Classics campaign this spring has left him heavier than ideal for the mountains — a fact he and his UAE Team Emirates – XRG squad appear unconcerned about with the Tour de France still weeks away.

A Decisive Move on the Jaunpass

The queen stage covered 149.6 kilometres from Broc to Charmey, packing in more than 3,000 metres of climbing across three ascents of the Jaunpass. An early breakaway that included Primož Roglič animated the first half of the race, but UAE Team Emirates – XRG patiently reeled in the escapees before the final climb — 8.1 kilometres at 8.3%.cyclinguptodate

With just over three kilometres to the summit, Pogačar accelerated through the remnants of the break. Lipowitz was the only rider able to follow, matching the Slovenian’s tempo until a second surge inside the final kilometre proved decisive. Pogačar crested alone and committed fully on the high-speed descent, crossing the line with Lipowitz finishing 14 seconds back.cyclinguptodate

“I felt good all day, and the plan was to follow Pogi for as long as possible,” Lipowitz said in his flash interview. “But in the final kilometre on the climb I was on my limit. I’m really happy with today.”idlprocycling

Extra Kilos, No Alarm

Pogačar noted after the stage that he is “carrying extra weight,” a consequence of the muscle mass he built during a Classics block that included Paris-Roubaix earlier this spring. According to analysis from CyclingUpToDate, Pogačar and his team view the situation as routine: “One less baguette during training and the problem sorts itself out quickly,” as one commentator put it, noting that both Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel typically shed weight in May and June ahead of the Tour de France.cyclinguptodate

Despite the self-assessed disadvantage, Pogačar now leads the general classification by 35 seconds over Lipowitz heading into Sunday’s final stage to Leysin. Lipowitz’s spring trajectory — third at the Tour of Catalonia, second at the Tour of the Basque Country, and now a likely runner-up in Romandie — has cemented the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe rider as a genuine contender for July.idlprocycling

Rodríguez Escapes Serious Injury

The stage also delivered a frightening moment when INEOS Grenadiers’ Carlos Rodríguez crashed on the descent at speeds exceeding 100 km/h. The Spaniard slid out on a sharp corner but was able to remount and continue with road rash and a torn jersey, avoiding what could have been a far more serious outcome. Reports from the peloton suggested a race motorcycle may have contributed to the incident.cyclinguptodate