TOUR DE FRANCE 2026 | STAGE 13 | DOLE > BELFORT
The longest stage of the Tour de France 2026 – 205.8 km from Dole to Belfort – favored the attackers’ plans, or at least the ambitions of two of them. Members of the 57-man breakaway that became established after more than 100 kilometres of battle at a dazzling speed, Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) and Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5) took center stage up and down the iconic Ballon d’Alsace. The British climber conquered the ascent and opened a massive gap to the peloton. But the Swiss powerhouse attacked on the descent and narrowly edged Harold Tejada (XDS Astana) on the line, with Pidcock rounding out the day’s top 3. As the peloton finished 7’32’’ behind, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates XRG) retained the leader’s jersey ahead of a gruelling week-end. Pidcock moves up to fourth place in the overall standings, just 9 seconds behind third-placed Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).
Sprinters shone in Nevers and Chalon-sur-Saône, but these may have been their last opportunity to battle for the win as the peloton head to the Vosges and the intensity ramps up. Today’s stage is the longest of the 2026 edition (205.8 km). The route featured one of the most iconic ascents in the history of the Tour: Ballon d’Alsace, whose summit is 29.9 km from the finish in Belfort.
A 57-man breakaway after a brutal battle
Such references naturally inspire attackers, furthermore considering that the stage is also on Romain Grégoire’s home roads and the finish in Belfort is less than 20 kilometres from Étupes, where Adam Yates, Warren Barguil, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet and Clément Braz Afonso developed into professional cyclists.
As UAE Emirates XRG try to control the formation of the early break, it took 33 kilometers for a group of 37 attackers to get away, with Brandon McNulty and Tim Wellens representing the Emirati team. Tom Pidcock was there with three Pinarello Q36.5 teammates: Quinten Hermans, Xandro Meurisse, and Fred Wright. The group was filled with climbers-punchers aiming for victory in Belfort, including Grégoire, Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Kévin Vauquelin (Netcompany Ineos)…
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) is also in the break, a situation that doesn’t suit Lidl-Trek. The battle goes and twenty more attackers, including Mads Pedersen, set off at km 55 and eventually make it a 57-man lead group at km 114. The brutal speed illustrates the magnitude of the battle for the breakaway: 55.3 kilometers were covered in the first hour, and then 51.5 in the second.
An exhilarating battle up and down the Ballon d’Alsace
UAE Emirates XRG let the gap grow and Pidcock became a significant threat for the top GC contenders. The British star started the stage 10th in the overall standings (+11’49’’). As the gap increased to a maximum of 8’25’’ on the slopes of the Ballon d’Alsace, the main ascent of the day (cat. 1, summit at km 175.9), he was second in the virtual GC!
Pidcock was very active on this most iconic climb, the first major summit passed in the history of the Tour, back in 1905. The British star led the way at the summit, with eight riders in his wake: McNulty, Vauquelin, Braz Afonso, Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Harold Tejada (XDS Astana), Luke Plapp, Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla), and Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies). Wellens rapidly joined them on the downhill.
Schmid and Tejada find an opening 16 kilometres from the line. The two of them collaborated well to open a gap of 20 seconds from their chasers. Schmid kept his cool to take victory ahead of Tejada, with Pidcock finishing third just two seconds behind. The peloton finished with a gap of 7’32’’. Pidcock moved up to fourth in the overall standings, nine seconds behind third-placed Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).
Stage 13
1 Mauro SCHMID TEAM JAYCO ALULA 04h 06′ 58” – B : 10” –
2 Harold TEJADA CANACUE XDS ASTANA TEAM 04h 06′ 58” – B : 6” –
3 Tom PIDCOCK PINARELLO-Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM 04h 07′ 00” + 00h 00′ 02” B : 4”
GC
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) 47h18’31”
- Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma – Lease a Bike) +3’36”
- Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull – Bora – hansgrohe) +4’06”
