Mauro Schmid outsprints Harold Tejada to win Tour de France stage 13; Tom Pidcock moves to fourth overall
Swiss rider Mauro Schmid edged Harold Tejada in a two-up sprint in Belfort, while Britain's Tom Pidcock finished third and climbed six places to fourth overall, 4:15 behind yellow jersey Tadej Pogacar.
Stage 13: Dole to Belfort
The longest stage of the 113th Tour de France, 205.8 km from Dole to Belfort, produced a mass breakaway of 57 riders that stayed clear to the finish. Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) and Harold Tejada (XDS-Astana) attacked on the descent from the category 1 Ballon d'Alsace with 16 km remaining and held off the chase. Schmid won the two-up sprint in 4:06.58, with Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5) leading a group of seven across the line 2 seconds later.
I thought a lot about last year in Toulouse when I lost in the same circumstances against Abrahamsen.
Schmid's breakthrough
Schmid, 26, secured the biggest win of his career and Switzerland's first Tour stage victory since Marc Hirschi in 2020. He had already won stages at the Giro d'Italia (2021) and enjoyed a strong spring with second places at the Tour Down Under and Flèche Wallonne. On the final run-in he managed cramp but refused to yield.
I was starting to get cramps, I didn't want to miss out. I almost never looked back. It was more about managing my energy so I had something left at the end.
Jayco AlUla teammate Michael Matthews, who finished 13th, called Schmid "like a Swiss watch, always punctual."
- Peloton rolls out for the longest stage of the 2026 Tour, 205.8 km.
- A group of 57 riders escapes, including Schmid, Tejada, and Pidcock.
- The breakaway tackles the 9 km category 1 climb; Pidcock attacks but cannot drop Schmid and Tejada.
- Schmid and Tejada attack on the descent and open a gap.
- Schmid outsprints Tejada to win; Pidcock leads the chase group home 2 seconds later.
Pidcock climbs to fourth
Pidcock started the day 7:43 behind third-placed Remco Evenepoel. By forcing the break and finishing third he gained over seven minutes on the peloton, moving from 10th to fourth overall, now only 9 seconds behind Evenepoel and 4:15 behind race leader Tadej Pogacar.
It was always the objective to make it into break. I think it worked out perfectly. I was also after the stage win, but it was difficult in the end without any teammates. But I can't be disappointed.
Team manager Doug Ryder praised the ride.
Tom was brilliant... the whole team rode so well, the commitment to getting into the break was so brilliant. Tom is a fighter and has really turned the race upside down and made it exciting.
General classification unchanged at the top
Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) finished in the peloton more than seven minutes down, preserving his 3:36 advantage over Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike). Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) remains third at 4:06. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) kept the green jersey by 41 points over Jasper Philipsen.
Pogacar's record pursuit
Pogacar, 27, is closing in on a fifth Tour title that would tie the record held by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain. Asked about Lance Armstrong's stripped seven wins, he deflected.
I got this question in the morning. I can't say anything. I don't go for records, I just want to finish this Tour with yellow in Paris. This is the main focus.
What comes next
Stage 14 on Saturday runs 155.3 km from Mulhouse to Le Markstein and features three category 1 climbs, the last less than 6 km from the finish. It is expected to be a significant test for the general classification contenders.
