Mads Pedersen wins fourth stage of 2026 Tour de France as Torstein Traeen takes yellow jersey

Mads Pedersen claimed his fourth career Tour de France stage victory on a scorching day in southern France, winning Stage 4 after a 150-kilometre breakaway in temperatures that climbed above 40°C. The former world champion delivered a perfectly timed sprint in Foix, beating Lidl-Trek teammate Quinn Simmons and Movistar’s Raúl García after a long, attritional day on the road from Carcassonne.

The stage also produced a major shift in the general classification as Norwegian Torstein Træen took the yellow jersey for the first time in his career. Starting the day just over five minutes behind Tadej Pogacar, Træen made the decisive 34-man breakaway that formed early, survived the selection over the final climb, and finished eighth on the stage. With the peloton arriving more than thirteen minutes behind Pedersen, the time gaps were enough to elevate the Uno-X Mobility rider into the overall lead by twenty-eight seconds over American Sean Quinn, who also featured in the break and finished ninth.

Pedersen’s victory — his third Tour stage win after successes in 2022 and 2023 — also moved him into the green jersey lead. His Lidl-Trek teammate Mathias Vacek, tenth on the stage, climbed to third overall at 3:50 and now leads the white jersey classification. Pogacar dropped to fourth at 7:53, level on time with Jonas Vingegaard, as both favourites finished safely in the peloton but conceded significant time to the breakaway.

For Træen, the yellow jersey marks another milestone in a career defined by resilience and steady progression. The 30-year-old previously led the Vuelta a España for four days in 2025 and now becomes only the third Norwegian ever to wear the Tour’s maillot jaune, following Thor Hushovd and Alexander Kristoff. With Uno-X Mobility continuing to punch above its weight, Træen’s ride adds another chapter to Norway’s growing presence in the sport’s biggest race.

Stage 4 finished with Pedersen first in 4:10:45, followed by Simmons, García, Marco Frigo, Ramses Debruyne, Kévin Vauquelin, Quinn, Træen, Pablo Castrillo, and Vacek — all on the same time.

The new general classification sees Træen leading at 13:02:46, ahead of Quinn at +28 seconds and Vacek at +3:50, with Pogacar and Vingegaard both sitting at +7:53. Debruyne, Remco Evenepoel, Isaac del Toro, Juan Ayuso, and Paul Seixas complete the top ten.

VIDEO: 2026 Tour de France Stage 4