Description
July 30, 2026
Tour de l’Ain 2026 🇫🇷 (2.1) ME – Stage 3 – Oyonnax – Lélex Monts-Jura : 131,5 km
Tour de l’Ain is a UCI 2.1 classification stage race that unfolds across the diverse and challenging terrain of the Ain department in eastern France,
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July 30, 2026
Tour de l’Ain 2026 🇫🇷 (2.1) ME – Stage 3 – Oyonnax – Lélex Monts-Jura : 131,5 km
Tour de l’Ain is a UCI 2.1 classification stage race that unfolds across the diverse and challenging terrain of the Ain department in eastern France, where the roads wind through the Jura Mountains, the rolling hills of the Bugey region, and the flatter plains near the Saône River. The parcours is a blend of flat, fast stages and mountainous challenges, with key climbs featuring gradients of 6–10% on narrow, winding roads that test both climbing prowess and technical descending skills. The mountain stages often include long, sustained ascents with irregular gradients, where steep ramps and false flats alternate, while the descents are fast and technical, demanding precision and nerve from the riders.
The race dynamics vary depending on the stage profile. The flatter stages are typically contested in high-speed bunch sprints, though crosswinds on the exposed plains can split the peloton and create opportunities for late breaks. The mountainous stages, however, are where the race truly unfolds, with attacks launching on the steepest sections or during the technical descents, where gaps can open quickly. The peloton often fractures into smaller groups on the most demanding climbs, while the flatter stages allow for faster pacing and more controlled racing. The finish styles range from uphill sprints on steep, short climbs to reduced-group finishes after long descents or solo moves on the most challenging stages. The Tour de l’Ain is a race of contrasts, where the interplay of terrain, weather, and tactics creates a dynamic and unpredictable test for riders.
Young Spanish rider Markel Beloki (EF Education-EasyPost) successfully defended his yellow jersey on stage 3 of the Tour de l’Ain to claim the overall title in France, his first stage race victory as a professional.
EF tried to cap off a perfect three days of racing by winning the final stage with Jefferson Alexander Cepeda, who attacked away from a group of nine 2km from the finish in Lélex Monts-Jura after a brutal day of climb.
But he was chased down well by Jamie Meehan (Cofidis) with 300 metres to go, only to be overhauled three riders in sight of the line, with Axel Mariault (CIC Pro Cycling Academy) coming through to take a maiden professional win at 28.
Beloki was second on the final day after sprinting well, but not enough to beat Mariault, who denied EF the clean sweep, with another Frenchman, Brieuc Rolland (Groupama-FDJ United) taking third on Thursday.
Seven categorised climbs lined the tough route in Jura mountains, but despite several waves of attacks from all angles, Beloki was never in too much trouble, covering all moves over the crucial final categorised ascent, the Col de Menthières mostly on his own and with Cepeda to help.
In the end, he won by a big margin thanks to his solo stage win to Lagnieu on stage 2, beating Mariault by 52 seconds and Meehan by 55 seconds to the yellow jersey.
“We knew that today was going to be a very hard day for us. Yesterday we lost one rider, so we were just with five guys and we knew it was going to be a hard stage for us; short and super intense, but we could control everything and I’m happy to take the GC,”
“I hope,” said the 21 year old when told the Tour de l’Ain winner goes on to win a lot of races. “That’s why I’m working every day to perform better, and we will see how the future develops. In a few days I will be in the Vuelta a Burgos, that’s the next race I’ll do.”
Results :
Final General Classification :
 ME - Stage 3 </strong> - Oyonnax - Lélex Monts-Jura : 131,5 km
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Tour de l’Ain is a UCI 2.1 classification stage race that unfolds across the diverse and challenging terrain of the Ain department in eastern France, where the roads wind through the Jura Mountains, the rolling hills of the Bugey region, and the flatter plains near the Saône River. The parcours is a blend of flat, fast stages and mountainous challenges, with key climbs featuring gradients of 6–10% on narrow, winding roads that test both climbing prowess and technical descending skills. The mountain stages often include long, sustained ascents with irregular gradients, where steep ramps and false flats alternate, while the descents are fast and technical, demanding precision and nerve from the riders.
The race dynamics vary depending on the stage profile. The flatter stages are typically contested in high-speed bunch sprints, though crosswinds on the exposed plains can split the peloton and create opportunities for late breaks. The mountainous stages, however, are where the race truly unfolds, with attacks launching on the steepest sections or during the technical descents, where gaps can open quickly. The peloton often fractures into smaller groups on the most demanding climbs, while the flatter stages allow for faster pacing and more controlled racing. The finish styles range from uphill sprints on steep, short climbs to reduced-group finishes after long descents or solo moves on the most challenging stages. The Tour de l’Ain is a race of contrasts, where the interplay of terrain, weather, and tactics creates a dynamic and unpredictable test for riders.
Young Spanish rider Markel Beloki (EF Education-EasyPost) successfully defended his yellow jersey on stage 3 of the Tour de l'Ain to claim the overall title in France, his first stage race victory as a professional.
EF tried to cap off a perfect three days of racing by winning the final stage with Jefferson Alexander Cepeda, who attacked away from a group of nine 2km from the finish in Lélex Monts-Jura after a brutal day of climb.
But he was chased down well by Jamie Meehan (Cofidis) with 300 metres to go, only to be overhauled three riders in sight of the line, with Axel Mariault (CIC Pro Cycling Academy) coming through to take a maiden professional win at 28.
Beloki was second on the final day after sprinting well, but not enough to beat Mariault, who denied EF the clean sweep, with another Frenchman, Brieuc Rolland (Groupama-FDJ United) taking third on Thursday.
Seven categorised climbs lined the tough route in Jura mountains, but despite several waves of attacks from all angles, Beloki was never in too much trouble, covering all moves over the crucial final categorised ascent, the Col de Menthières mostly on his own and with Cepeda to help.
In the end, he won by a big margin thanks to his solo stage win to Lagnieu on stage 2, beating Mariault by 52 seconds and Meehan by 55 seconds to the yellow jersey.
"We knew that today was going to be a very hard day for us. Yesterday we lost one rider, so we were just with five guys and we knew it was going to be a hard stage for us; short and super intense, but we could control everything and I'm happy to take the GC,"
"I hope," said the 21 year old when told the Tour de l'Ain winner goes on to win a lot of races. "That's why I'm working every day to perform better, and we will see how the future develops. In a few days I will be in the Vuelta a Burgos, that's the next race I'll do."
<strong>Results : </strong>
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<strong>Final General Classification : </strong>
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