Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates XRG) claims stage 3 of the 2026 Tour de Suisse. The Ecuadorian came out on top in the sprint finale of the 157.9-kilometre circuit around Bad Ragaz, beating Xandro Meurisse (Pinarello – Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team). Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility) won the subsequent bunch sprint for 3rd place.
It was an intense opening to the stage. After several attacks the first breakaway formed, joined by additional riders on the climb to Wildhaus. Shortly afterwards the race effectively moved up a gear. On the 11-kilometre climb to the Schwägalp, Jhonatan Narváez and Xandro Meurisse broke clear. A chase group followed leaving the peloton, led by overall leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG), trailing more than a minute behind.
Over the 90 kilometres from the Schwägalp to the finish, the duo of Narváez and Meurisse worked well together, extending their lead at times to over three minutes. In the peloton, several of the sprinter teams took up the chase, among them Visma | Lease a Bike, Team Jayco AlUla, EF Education-EasyPost and Movistar. Rain, wet roads and intermittent crosswinds made the pursuit difficult.
In the final kilometres the peloton once again closed in dangerously on the leading pair. The gap shrank steadily, but Narváez and Meurisse refused to be caught. In the sprint Narváez was clearly the stronger and celebrated the stage win in Bad Ragaz. Magnus Cort took the bunch sprint, ahead of Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech).
In the General Classification, Pogačar remains unchallenged in yellow. After three stages the Slovenian leads Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) by 2:50. Andrea Bagioli (Lidl-Trek) is 3rd at 3:07. Thanks to his stage win and bonus seconds, Narváez moved up one place into 9th at 4:57.
Marc Hirschi (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) is currently the best-placed Swiss rider, 23rd overall and 8:34 behind Pogačar. On stage 3, the Swiss riders played no part in the battle for the day’s victory.
