"I'm not chasing records but having fun". The words released by Pogacar to the Gazzetta are sincere, even if contextualized in the reading of the stage that brought Torstein Traeen into the yellow jersey. In the statements collected by Ciro Scognamiglio, the world champion dwells on the value of setbacks ("from the defeats with Vingegaard at the Tour I learned important lessons") and gives an endorsement to Seixas ("he has great talent. If he continues to grow, he has a bright future").

Traeen, that is. The Norwegian, in the sign of Haaland to quote an excerpt from the headline of Corriere della Sera, was very clever in taking advantage of Tadej's willingness, as Marco Bonarrigo notes "Eager to get rid of the yellow jersey, yesterday in the stifling heat of Occitania Tadej Pogacar looked around to see if anyone else was interested in catching up with the 25-man breakaway that had formed shortly after the start from Carcassonne".

Perhaps due to a conditioned reflex from the torrential heat, certainly due to solid sporting culture, Cosimo Cito of Repubblica not only calls upon the comparison with the Norwegian national team's striker but also the super endurance athlete Klaebo and the 41 medals of the Nordic country at the Winter Games. "Viking rowing also at the Tour" gives a good sense of it. Speaking of maritime exploits, the first breakaway of this Grande Boucle also came to port, as described by Pier Augusto Stagi on Il Giornale, "with the blessing of his majesty Tadej Pogacar and rival Vingegaard: giants who indeed rested. Across the Alps, finally, L'Equipe offers with Alexandre Roos an interesting reflection on the dual dimension of cycling, plastically proposed by yesterday's stage. "After being powerless spectators of a race that no longer concerned them – reduced to mere cannon fodder for Tadej Pogačar's masterclass – these fantastic warriors from the 'other world' finally made their presence felt between Carcassonne and Foix, staging a rebellion to compete for the stage victory".

GAZZETTA DELLO SPORT
POGACAR LOOKS AHEAD
Everyone rushed to check who would be the last to take the yellow jersey on the third stage of the Tour de France – like Tadej Pogacar on Monday – and then keep it until the end. But the world champion, as was to be expected, consciously chose to relinquish the leadership and all the protocol obligations that come with it: towards Foix, a breakaway from far away that came to port with a double Scandinavian celebration. The Danish Mads Pedersen's victory, and the Norwegian Torstein Traeen's ascent to the top. "I don't wake up every morning thinking about history – Pogi explains to the Gazzetta –. Rather, I think about the next training session, the next stage and giving my best. If you concentrate too much on records, you risk losing sight of what allows you to achieve them". (Ciro Scognamiglio)

CORRIERE DELLA SERA
NORWAY WITHOUT BRAKES, TRAEEN IN THE SIGN OF HAALAND
You don't pull, I won't pull either. Eager to get rid of the yellow jersey, yesterday in the stifling heat of Occitania Tadej Pogacar looked around to see if anyone else was interested in catching up with the 25-man breakaway that had formed shortly after the start from Carcassonne. Having received no's from the supreme leaders Vingegaard & Evenepoel (imagine if they'd let themselves be cooked by the sun for the Slovenian who's been bullying them for two days), Pogi provocatively started trotting at the back of the group, even making trips to the team car to resupply his teammates with water bottles and ice, rewarding them this way for their services. (Marco Bonarrigo)

REPUBBLICA
VIKING ROWING ALSO AT THE TOUR
TRAEEN IN YELLOW, SCORCHING STAGE
It's truly a great moment for Norwegian sport. Also in cycling, after Klaebo's triumphs and the sensational run of Haaland and company at the American World Cup, the Viking Row has arrived. Torstein Traeen, the new yellow jersey wearer at the Tour de France, races for a team from his country, Uno-X, a small talent factory flying the red flag with blue and white cross, the Norges Flagg, the same flag that has climbed the podium 41 times at the Milan Cortina Games. Traeen also has a story of rebirth: in 2022 he was diagnosed with testicular cancer thanks to an anti-doping check. (Cosimo Cito)

IL GIORNALE
TRAEEN IN YELLOW BY SURPRISE, POGACAR AND VINGEGAARD. 13 MINUTES BEHIND AT THE FINISH
And as planned, on the fourth day "the giants rested". So to speak, because the kilometers to cover were not few (181) and the temperature was certainly not pleasant for a picnic (40°). Yesterday, with the blessing of his majesty Tadej Pogacar and rival Vingegaard, who arrived at the finish line after 13 minutes, the first breakaway of this edition of the Tour reaches its destination. Victory goes to the Dane Mads Pedersen (who also wears the green jersey, ed.), who enters the day's breakaway after 3 km and is escorted by his teammates Simmons (2nd at the finish) and Vacek (9th). (Pier Augusto Stagi)

L'EQUIPE
THE REVOLT
This time, everyone was happy. Those who for two days had struggled in the back of the group – between Barcelona and Les Angles – yesterday finally tasted the spotlight. After being powerless spectators of a race that no longer concerned them – reduced to mere cannon fodder for Tadej Pogačar's masterclass – these fantastic warriors from the "other world" finally made their presence felt between Carcassonne and Foix, staging a rebellion to compete for the stage victory. This initial phase of the Tour de France highlights the two worlds that make up modern cycling: worlds that coexist without speaking the same language, driven by two simultaneous trends: one of general and global progress, the other of growing disparity. (Alexandre Roos)