Tom Pidcock puts himself in the Tour de France contention
TOM PIDCOCK fell short in his bid to win a second career Tour de France stage but catapulted himself up to fourth overall after a fierce breakaway battle into Belfort.
Mauro Schmid took his first Tour success just ahead of Harold Tejada with Pidcock sprinting for third a couple of seconds back after a rapid stage 13.
With the main favourites finishing some seven-and-a-half minutes later, Pidcock, who had started the day 11 minutes 49 seconds down in 10th place, moved to within nine seconds of Remco Evenepoel in the final podium place overall.
Pidcock’s deficit to race leader Tadej Pogacar is four minutes 15 seconds, but he is only 39 seconds behind second-placed Jonas Vingegaard.
Pidcock was on the attack in a huge group that went up the road on the longest stage of this year’s Tour, a 206km route from Dole defined by the climb of Ballon d’Alsace late in the day.
With the break whittled down to 10, the Yorkshireman was first to crest the climb 30km from the finish, but nobody followed an attack from Schmid and Tejada midway down the descent as they built what proved to be a decisive gap.
“I guess we went into the stage not really knowing what we wanted but knowing there were a lot of different opportunities,” Pidcock said on TNT Sports.
“We were trying for GC and the stage, both would have been possible. With such a big break we decided we would ride but the last climb was not really hard enough, it was really fast so it was difficult to make a difference.
“When I was in the break I was focused on trying to win the stage instead of the GC so it’s all just a bonus I guess.”
Pidcock, also third on stage nine on Sunday when a broken gear prevented him contesting the sprint, had been looking for a second Tour stage win four years and three days after his stunning victory on the Alpe d’Huez in 2022.
He may now have ruined his chance to pursue further stage wins in this Tour, certainly from a breakaway, but a man who finished third overall in last year’s Vuelta a Espana has made himself a force to be reckoned with in the overall fight going into a big weekend in the mountains.
“Tomorrow’s a big day, but I think I’m getting stronger and stronger,” he said. “In the Vuelta I was getting dropped in the first week and I ended up on the podium. But I think I’m going to lose a lot of time in the time trial (on Tuesday), that’s for sure.”