Mads Pedersen claimed victory on stage four of the 2026 Tour de France, winning a sprint ahead of teammate Quinn Simmons to record the third stage win of his career in the race. The 181.9-kilometre route from Carcassonne to Foix was staged in extreme heat exceeding 40°C, with Pedersen finishing in 4 hours 10 minutes 45 seconds.
The result also brought a leadership change. Torstein Traeen, who was treated for testicular cancer in 2022, took the yellow jersey from Tadej Pogacar, who dropped to fourth overall at 7 minutes 53 seconds behind. Sean Quinn sits second in the general classification, 28 seconds off the lead.
Pedersen also moved into the green jersey as the race's points leader.