142km to go. Still no breakaway yet, but moustachioed US champion Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) clips off the front for a few kilometres. So what will it take for the escape to go? The right composition of riders – they cannot be a threat on GC, ideally, or Visma will fly into action – working well together, combined with a bunch tired from chasing, or even Pogacar or Vingegaard wanting to knock off the all-out racing and stop for a pee.

150km to go. Who had the Offspring frontman meeting Paul Seixas on their Tour de France bingo card? Not me. Guess he’s pretty fly – for a French guy. I’m impressed the Chosen One (born 2006) even knows who he is.

158km to go. Forced to chase on with some backmarkers after his gear issues, Lenny Martinez’s group is 40 seconds down a whittled-down bunch. The heat is on, literally and figuratively. At the other end of the race, De Lie’s calvary continues, almost six minutes down.

On riders who could do a job at the World Cup, Robin Lynch has messaged in:

Glaringly obvious pick: Ex-Anderlecht and Belgium youth star Remco Evenepoel.

Alternate pick: Luke ‘Turbo’ Durbridge’s power and energy could pep up a deflated Socceroos team.

169km to go. The road keeps rising and Mathieu van der Poel gives it a dig, followed by Carapaz and a dozen others. It regroups and Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers Netcompany Ineos) surges in that attractive Colombian champion’s kit. Riders spread all over the road as top puncheurs try to force a break.

Bike change for Lenny Martinez (Bahrain-Victorious) after gear problems. Cannot think of a single other pro cyclist with that first name. He has hardly been out of the top ten this year at stage races, I reckon he’ll do the same at his home race.

177km to go. Up and over that climb, Richard Carapaz gave it a dig, but was marked by rivals. Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) beats Romo for the King of the Mountain points, but their freedom is brief. Attack and regroup, that will be the rhythm for a while.

Armirail is two minutes off the back in a 30-strong group, with Arnaud De Lie also in trouble off the back behind him.

180km to go. Big crash at the front of the bunch. Bruno Armirail (Visma-Lease a Bike) goes down heavily, along with Vacek and three Netcompany Ineos riders. It appears to have been caused by a rider trying to squeeze past the Frenchman on the inside. He seems to have banged his knee, this could hinder one of Jonas Vingegaard’s helpers.

Seixas super domestique Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) is back at the doctor’s car too.

184km to go. The accelerations are raining down on the third-cat climb and Lotto Intermarché sprinter Arnaud De Lie has already slid to the back of the bunch. The Belgian has had stomach issues and it was uncertain whether he would even start the Tour. It could be an interminable day fighting to make the time cut for him.

You can read more about him, his plucky Belgian team and find out his nickname in our comprehensive guide:

193km to go. Under a 35C Catalan sun, the bunch has taken a long time to pootle through the neutralised start after a puncture for Latvia’s Toms Skujins (Lidl-Trek). The racing is now on, with a Groupama-FDJ United chancing his arm with an attack.

I expect a lot of moves for the Côte de Saint Felieu de Codines, the third-category climb crossed after 17 kilometres. The road rises gradually for most of the stage’s first half before reaching the Pyrenees.

The jersey wearers for stage three:

White jersey (for best under-25 rider): Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek), wearing it because Del Toro is in the maillot vert
Green jersey: Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
Yellow jersey: Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike)
King of the Mountains jersey: Alex Molenaar (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA)

I fear Isaac del Toro did not pick the best day to garner the full attention of the Mexican media, given the goings-on at the Azteca.

Well, the football team is out, the 22-year-old still has three weeks to make his mark on the Tour de France. His joyous reaction to his first stage win put a smile on my face, I have to say.

The consensus seems to be that this is a glaring opportunity for the escapees and the big beasts of the bunch will sit back and let them fight it out. Who are the favourites then?

You’ve got to put breakaway whisperer Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) into the frame for a tough day like this, though he might prefer a little more difficulty and more residual fatigue.

I could see Mauro Schmid (Jayco Alula), Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) and almost any Netcompany Ineos rider featuring today, but depends which breakaway sticks. I look forward to those faint predictions/tips being proved totally wrong!

Here is ex-racer and Tour de France technical director Thierry Gouvenou with his briefing on the stage three:

It’s a long stage with a gradual climb for most of the way. The stage features a category-one climb, the Col de Toses [9.3km at 6.5%], which should prove quite challenging. But overall, there are no major challenges. It’s a perfect stage for the attackers. The finale will separate the riders, especially on the Col du Calvaire near Font-Romeu and the final 1.5-kilometre climb to Les Angles at a seven per cent gradient. So, this is a huge opportunity for attackers to seek out a stage win and why not even the yellow jersey.

While we wait for live TV coverage, here is Jeremy Whittle’s report from Barcelona.

It was an ominous day: both for UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s show of strength (could be a long Tour for anyone not called Jonas Vingegaard) and the news about the spectator-free third stage finale, with only essential vehicles aloud.