Description
August 22, 2026
40th Lidl Deutschland Tour 2026 🇩🇪 (2.Pro) ME – Stage 3 – Herxheim – Bad Dürkheim : 170,8 km
Deutschland Tour is a UCI ProSeries stage race run across varied German terrain,
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August 22, 2026
40th Lidl Deutschland Tour 2026 🇩🇪 (2.Pro) ME – Stage 3 – Herxheim – Bad Dürkheim : 170,8 km
Deutschland Tour is a UCI ProSeries stage race run across varied German terrain, combining flat transitional stages, rolling countryside, and selective finales that often depend on wind, positioning, and late acceleration. The route usually avoids extreme mountain difficulty, but narrow roads, urban circuits, and exposed sections can still create tactical pressure and unexpected splits. Riders must conserve energy through controlled stages while staying alert for crosswind moves, sharp turns, and fast approach roads into the finish. Race dynamics commonly feature sprint teams managing breakaways on flatter days and stronger all-rounders trying to animate the race on punchier terrain or in technical finales. Typical stage profiles include long lead-ins, rolling middle sections, and short climbs or uphill drags that can stretch the peloton before the line. Finishes may end in bunch sprints, reduced-group contests, or late solo moves if the race becomes disorganized. The event rewards discipline, team support, and sharp positioning in the final kilometers.
Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) continued his strong August form by winning the queen stage of the Deutschland Tour, beating close friend off the bike, Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), to the line in Bad Dürkheim as the Mexican re-took the overall lead on stage 3.
Del Toro attacked away from the peloton with 33km to go on the steepest climb of seven categorised ascents along the 170km route, the Rotsteig, where race leader Louis Barré (Visma-Lease a Bike) was unable to follow, but Pellizzari managed to bridge across.
They rode the final 30km together after dropping lone early attacker Nelson Oliveira (Movistar) on the Annaberg, before arriving at the finish line where the Italian rode to the stage win and Del Toro back into the blue leader’s jersey.
Barré’s team tried but failed to bring him back to the two leaders, and even several solo bursts couldn’t see him limit the damage to less than the 49 seconds he shipped at the line. With one stage remaining on Sunday, Del Toro will start with a 52-second buffer over the Frenchman, which, if he successfully defends, will bring him his fourth stage race victory of the season.
“Today is a super day. Yesterday we were super happy with Magagnotti’s win, so today we wanted to do it again, and it was the perfect day to do it,” said Pellizzari after the stage,
“We were in the perfect position when Isaac went. I just took my tempo and then in the end I came back. We had good collaboration – he was going for GC and I was going for the stage – we tried to do our best, and we are just super happy,” he added, with both 22-year-old rising stars living in San Marino.
“We are super good friends, me and Isaac, of course, and during the race we have a good battle. I always say we are friends 1cm before the finish line; from there we are friends, so I’m super happy now he is leading in GC. Tomorrow is still one day; we will try with Alessio [Magagnotti], but today it’s a perfect day for me, Isaac, and all San Marino.”
GC action unfold over tricky terrain in brutal wet conditions
The third stage and fourth day of racing in Germany opened up to several early attacks, with three categorised climbs in the first 75km: Lolosruhe (3.8 km at 5.8%) and two laps up the Kalmit (5.2 km at 7.4%), but none of these moves stuck to form a true break of the day.
As heavy rain fell on the peloton, Nelson Oliveira attacked away solo in the final 70km to form a breakaway, as earlier splits in the main bunch came back together before a tricky finale.
Visma-Lease a Bike were in control for Barré one the Movistar rider got away, but that only lasted until the approach to the Rotsteig, where UAE started to show their strength and Nils Politt moved to the front.
With the home rider accelerating onto the short but steep climb, Del Toro was led out by him and Antonio Morgado, with the latter pulling so hard that everyone else was already on a gap by the time the young Mexican made his long-range move.
Barré had little in response, despite initially being able to hold a narrow gap, eventually dropping back to the remnants of the faltering peloton and being passed by a surging Pellizzari in the process.
He would never see Del Toro or Pellizzari again before the finish, losing 49 seconds and the race lead in the process. As the pair of San Marino residents fought out the stage win, Del Toro seemed happy to exhaust himself in establishing as big of a lead on GC as possible heading into the final day, with Pellizzari winning the stage.
Marc Hirshi (Tudor) showed signs of his previous best by attacking on the Annaberg to finish third on the stage, which also moved him up to third overall.
The Deutschland Tour will conclude tomorrow with a punchy 156km course starting and finishing in Heilbronn, where Del Toro will look to confirm overall victory for UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
Results :
 ME - Stage 3 </strong> - Herxheim - Bad Dürkheim : 170,8 km
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Deutschland Tour is a UCI ProSeries stage race run across varied German terrain, combining flat transitional stages, rolling countryside, and selective finales that often depend on wind, positioning, and late acceleration. The route usually avoids extreme mountain difficulty, but narrow roads, urban circuits, and exposed sections can still create tactical pressure and unexpected splits. Riders must conserve energy through controlled stages while staying alert for crosswind moves, sharp turns, and fast approach roads into the finish. Race dynamics commonly feature sprint teams managing breakaways on flatter days and stronger all-rounders trying to animate the race on punchier terrain or in technical finales. Typical stage profiles include long lead-ins, rolling middle sections, and short climbs or uphill drags that can stretch the peloton before the line. Finishes may end in bunch sprints, reduced-group contests, or late solo moves if the race becomes disorganized. The event rewards discipline, team support, and sharp positioning in the final kilometers.
Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) continued his strong August form by winning the queen stage of the Deutschland Tour, beating close friend off the bike, Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), to the line in Bad Dürkheim as the Mexican re-took the overall lead on stage 3.
Del Toro attacked away from the peloton with 33km to go on the steepest climb of seven categorised ascents along the 170km route, the Rotsteig, where race leader Louis Barré (Visma-Lease a Bike) was unable to follow, but Pellizzari managed to bridge across.
They rode the final 30km together after dropping lone early attacker Nelson Oliveira (Movistar) on the Annaberg, before arriving at the finish line where the Italian rode to the stage win and Del Toro back into the blue leader's jersey.
Barré's team tried but failed to bring him back to the two leaders, and even several solo bursts couldn't see him limit the damage to less than the 49 seconds he shipped at the line. With one stage remaining on Sunday, Del Toro will start with a 52-second buffer over the Frenchman, which, if he successfully defends, will bring him his fourth stage race victory of the season.
"Today is a super day. Yesterday we were super happy with Magagnotti's win, so today we wanted to do it again, and it was the perfect day to do it," said Pellizzari after the stage,
"We were in the perfect position when Isaac went. I just took my tempo and then in the end I came back. We had good collaboration – he was going for GC and I was going for the stage – we tried to do our best, and we are just super happy," he added, with both 22-year-old rising stars living in San Marino.
"We are super good friends, me and Isaac, of course, and during the race we have a good battle. I always say we are friends 1cm before the finish line; from there we are friends, so I'm super happy now he is leading in GC. Tomorrow is still one day; we will try with Alessio [Magagnotti], but today it's a perfect day for me, Isaac, and all San Marino."
<strong>GC action unfold over tricky terrain in brutal wet conditions</strong>
The third stage and fourth day of racing in Germany opened up to several early attacks, with three categorised climbs in the first 75km: Lolosruhe (3.8 km at 5.8%) and two laps up the Kalmit (5.2 km at 7.4%), but none of these moves stuck to form a true break of the day.
As heavy rain fell on the peloton, Nelson Oliveira attacked away solo in the final 70km to form a breakaway, as earlier splits in the main bunch came back together before a tricky finale.
Visma-Lease a Bike were in control for Barré one the Movistar rider got away, but that only lasted until the approach to the Rotsteig, where UAE started to show their strength and Nils Politt moved to the front.
With the home rider accelerating onto the short but steep climb, Del Toro was led out by him and Antonio Morgado, with the latter pulling so hard that everyone else was already on a gap by the time the young Mexican made his long-range move.
Barré had little in response, despite initially being able to hold a narrow gap, eventually dropping back to the remnants of the faltering peloton and being passed by a surging Pellizzari in the process.
He would never see Del Toro or Pellizzari again before the finish, losing 49 seconds and the race lead in the process. As the pair of San Marino residents fought out the stage win, Del Toro seemed happy to exhaust himself in establishing as big of a lead on GC as possible heading into the final day, with Pellizzari winning the stage.
Marc Hirshi (Tudor) showed signs of his previous best by attacking on the Annaberg to finish third on the stage, which also moved him up to third overall.
The Deutschland Tour will conclude tomorrow with a punchy 156km course starting and finishing in Heilbronn, where Del Toro will look to confirm overall victory for UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
<strong>Results : </strong>
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