Mauro Schmid won the 13th stage of the 2026 Tour de France on Friday in Belfort. The Swiss rider from Jayco AlUla outsprinted Harold Tejada after 205,8 km of racing from Dole. Tom Pidcock, finishing third just two seconds behind, gained more than 7 minutes and 30 seconds on the favorites and moved up to fourth place in the general classification, 4 minutes and 15 seconds behind Tadej Pogačar.
Schmid dominates Tejada in the final meters
Mauro Schmid completed the stage in 4 hours, 06 minutes, and 58 seconds. The Swiss rider finished ahead of Harold Tejada, who recorded the same time, while Tom Pidcock led the chasing group by two seconds. Maxim Van Gils, Brandon McNulty, Kévin Vauquelin, Jordan Jegat, Clément Braz Afonso, and Tim Wellens finished in the same group as the Briton. The victory was decided in the final 15 kilometers. Schmid launched his attack after the descent of the Ballon d'Alsace. Tejada immediately followed the Swiss rider, and the two quickly gained a lead of around ten seconds. Behind them, Pidcock, Van Gils, McNulty, Vauquelin, Jegat, Braz Afonso, and Wellens tried to organize the chase. Despite closing the gap in the final straight, Schmid and Tejada maintained a few meters' advantage. The Colombian launched the sprint, but the Swiss proved more powerful to secure the first victory of his career on the Tour de France.
A breakaway of nearly 60 riders
The day began at a blistering pace. After several neutralized attacks, a group of 37 riders managed to break away. Tom Pidcock, Mauro Schmid, Harold Tejada, Kévin Vauquelin, Julian Alaphilippe, Michael Matthews, Ben Healy, Tim Wellens, Brandon McNulty, Jordan Jegat, and Luke Plapp were among the attackers. Mads Pedersen, Biniam Girmay, and Jasper Philipsen then joined a second group at the front. Nearly 60 riders were now at the front, while the peloton of the yellow jersey group allowed the gap to exceed seven minutes. Jasper Philipsen won the intermediate sprint ahead of Mads Pedersen and Biniam Girmay. Pedersen thus limited his losses to the Belgian in the battle for the green jersey.
Pidcock attacks in the Ballon d'Alsace
The selection began on the Col des Croix, before intensifying on the slopes of the Ballon d'Alsace, a first-category climb with 8,8 km at an average gradient of 6,9%. Jordan Jegat, Maxim Van Gils, and Luke Plapp successively tried to break away. Tom Pidcock responded to each acceleration before launching his own attack about 650 meters from the summit. The Briton tried to crest the climb alone to take advantage of his descending skills, but Plapp, Van Gils, and Jegat reeled him in. A group of about ten riders started the descent towards Belfort together. Schmid and Tejada waited until the road was smoother before making their decisive move.
Three Frenchmen in the top eight
Kévin Vauquelin finished sixth, ahead of Jordan Jegat and Clément Braz Afonso. The three Frenchmen finished just two seconds behind the winner, in the group led by Tom Pidcock. Luke Plapp finished 10th, 11 seconds back. Michael Matthews, who lost contact on the Ballon d'Alsace, finished 13th, 1 minute and 01 second behind. Remco Evenepoel, Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Juan Ayuso, Paul Seixas, Florian Lipowitz, Isaac Del Toro, and Mattias Skjelmose finished together, 7 minutes and 32 seconds back.
Tom Pidcock moves from 10th to fourth place
Tom Pidcock started 10th overall in Dole, 11 minutes and 49 seconds behind Tadej Pogačar. His third-place finish and the four bonus seconds allowed him to gain 7 minutes and 34 seconds on the yellow jersey. The Briton is now fourth, 4 minutes and 15 seconds back. He misses the podium, currently occupied by Remco Evenepoel, by nine seconds and now leads Juan Ayuso, Paul Seixas, Florian Lipowitz, Isaac Del Toro, Mattias Skjelmose, and Lenny Martinez.
The updated general classification after stage 13
Tadej Pogačar retains the yellow jersey in 47 hours, 18 minutes, and 31 seconds. Jonas Vingegaard remains second, 3 minutes and 36 seconds behind, and Remco Evenepoel third, 4 minutes and 6 seconds back. Tom Pidcock moves up to fourth place, 4 minutes and 15 seconds behind, ahead of Juan Ayuso, 4 minutes and 22 seconds behind. Paul Seixas is sixth, 4 minutes and 35 seconds behind. Florian Lipowitz is seventh, 4 minutes and 44 seconds behind, Isaac Del Toro eighth, 5 minutes and 8 seconds behind, Mattias Skjelmose ninth, 5 minutes and 45 seconds behind, and Lenny Martinez tenth, 6 minutes and 34 seconds behind. Pidcock's attack has significantly tightened the battle behind Pogačar: only 59 seconds now separate Vingegaard in second place from Lipowitz in seventh.
