Switzerland’s Mauro Schmid snagged his first-ever Tour de France stage win today, outsprinting Harold Tejada to the finish line in Belfort. But while Schmid celebrated a milestone victory, it was Tom Pidcock’s incredible leap in the overall standings that has everyone buzzing after a wild Stage 13. The Briton finished third on the day, rocketing himself into true podium contention.
A Breakaway Battle and a Swiss Celebration
This Stage 13, a grueling 206km ride from Dole to Belfort, was the longest of this year’s Tour, and it was pure chaos from the start. We saw two separate battles erupt: sprinters fighting for intermediate points and the main contenders eyeing the stage win. An initial group of 37 riders peeled away from the peloton, eventually swelling to 56 as Lidl-Trek’s Mads Pedersen chased down rivals like Jasper Philipsen. That massive group ultimately got whittled down to just eight after two brutal categorized climbs wiped out the fast men. Schmid, riding for Jayco-AlUla, made his move with a powerful jump from the breakaway with only 15km to go. XDS Astana’s Tejada was the only one who could keep pace. The duo up front almost got reeled in by a late attack from UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s Tim Wellens, but Schmid and Tejada launched their sprint just in time, with Schmid taking the win. He even pulled a wheelie across the line, celebrating the first Tour stage win by a Swiss rider in six years.
Pidcock’s Podium Charge is REAL
While Schmid was celebrating, Pidcock was two seconds further back, securing a clear sprint win for third place. This guy is a fighter! Pidcock, riding for Pinarello-Q36.5, attacked late on the final climb, the category one Ballon d’Alsace, but got reeled in before the descent. However, his efforts paid off big-time. He was up into virtual second place overall at one point today! The general classification teams, knowing what a brutal weekend of mountains is coming, gave the breakaway a wide berth, and Pidcock capitalized. He finished the day in fourth place overall, jumping an insane seven spots from 11th. He’s now just 15 seconds off Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel in the final podium spot, and four minutes and 15 seconds behind yellow jersey Tadej Pogacar. Visma-Lease a Bike’s Jonas Vingegaard remains second overall. This isn’t a fluke either; Pidcock also grabbed a third-place finish on stage nine, even after a late mechanical issue. Pinarello-Q36.5 general manager Doug Ryder summed it up perfectly: “Tom is such a fighter and he’s really turned this race upside down, he’s such an impact guy. For him to do what he did today and our team to support him, is pretty cool.”
What’s next? The Tour is heading into a brutally difficult weekend in the mountains. Every second counts, and with Pidcock breathing down their necks, the GC battle just got a whole lot spicier. Get ready, this race is far from over!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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