Mauro Schmid delivered Switzerland’s first Tour de France stage victory in six years on Friday, outkicking Colombia’s Harold Tejada in a tense two-man sprint at the end of the 205.8-kilometre 13th stage from Dole to Belfort. The Jayco AlUla rider, who had lost a similar duel in Toulouse a year ago, timed his final acceleration to perfection after Tejada launched first inside the last 200 metres. “I attacked a bit too late and was worried I’d lose again,” Schmid said afterwards, admitting he had begun to cramp with four kilometres remaining. “I still can’t believe it.” The win, Switzerland’s first since Marc Hirschi in 2020, was built on a mammoth breakaway that defined the day.

The stage, the longest of this year’s race, unfolded at a ferocious average speed of 50 km/h. A group of 57 riders eventually tore clear, merging sprinters hunting the intermediate points with baroudeurs eyeing the stage. On the slopes of the Ballon d’Alsace, the day’s sole category-one climb, the lead group was whittled down to nine. Schmid and Tejada attacked together on the descent with 15 kilometres to go and held off the chasers, with Britain’s Tom Pidcock crossing third, two seconds back. Pidcock’s presence in the move, however, carried consequences far beyond the stage result.

Starting the day tenth overall, more than 11 minutes down, Pidcock used the breakaway to claw back enough time to leap six places into fourth in the general classification, at 4 minutes 15 seconds. The move displaced Mexico’s Isaac del Toro, who finished in the peloton over seven minutes behind and slipped from seventh to eighth. German rider Florian Lipowitz also lost a spot, falling to seventh, though German analysts noted his climbing pedigree should serve him better in the mountains to come. The top three remained unchanged: Tadej Pogačar retained the yellow jersey with a 3:36 advantage over Jonas Vingegaard, while Remco Evenepoel stayed third at 4:06. Colombian media focused on Tejada’s near-miss — “the strongest won,” he said — and on Egan Bernal, who sits 12th overall after Fernando Gaviria abandoned with a broken collarbone.

The general classification shake-up sets up a high-stakes weekend. Saturday’s 14th stage packs three category-one climbs into 155.3 kilometres, finishing at the Le Markstein ski resort in the Vosges. For del Toro and Lipowitz, it is an immediate chance to reclaim lost ground; for Pidcock, a test of whether his new position can withstand the pressure of the pure climbers. Pogačar, meanwhile, will expect his rivals to probe for weaknesses on terrain that has often reshuffled the Tour’s hierarchy.