'There’s positives and there’s some disappointment', Tom Pidcock leaps six places into Tour de France podium fight but still misses stage win

'There’s positives and there’s some disappointment', Tom Pidcock leaps six places into Tour de France podium fight but still misses stage win

Two third places and a successful stage 13 breakaway have moved Pidcock within nine seconds of the podium, but the Vosges will provide a more direct test of his GC credentials.

By Tim Bonville-Ginn · · 4 min read

Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) recovered from a crash to finish third from the breakaway on stage 13, moving from 10th to fourth overall in one afternoon.

Mauro Schmid (Team Jayco AlUla) won the 205.8km stage into Belfort ahead of Harold Tejada (XDS Astana Team), with Pidcock taking the chasing-group sprint two seconds later. The Briton now trails race leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) by 4:15 and sits only 9 seconds behind Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) in third.

On the day, Pidcock briefly made it above Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) in second place as the break's advantage hit around 8:30. However, the yellow jersey group eventually pulled about a minute back in the end to 7:32 on the line, leaving Pidcock 39 seconds from Vingegaard and 9 seconds from Evenepoel in third.

Results

Jul 17

Velora
PosRiderTeamTime
🥇
Mauro Schmid
TEAM JAYCO ALULA4:06:58
🥈
Harold Alfonso Tejada Canacue
XDS ASTANA TEAM+0:00
🥉
Thomas Pidcock
PINARELLO-Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM+0:02
4
Maxim van Gils
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+0:02
5
Brandon Mcnulty
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+0:02
6
Kévin Vauquelin
NETCOMPANY INEOS+0:02
7
Jordan Jegat
TOTALENERGIES+0:02
8
Clément Braz Afonso
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+0:02
9
Tim Wellens
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+0:02
10
Lucas Plapp
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+0:11
11
Raul Garcia Pierna
MOVISTAR TEAM+0:57
12
Michael Valgren
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+0:59
13
Michael James Matthews
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+1:01
14
Nicolas Breuillard
TOTALENERGIES+1:01
15
Marc Hirschi
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+1:01
16
George Bennett
NSN CYCLING TEAM+1:01
17
Lars Craps
LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ+1:01
18
Ion Izaguirre Insausti
COFIDIS+1:03
19
Ben Alexander O'Connor
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+1:08
20
Magnus Nielsen
UNO-X MOBILITY+2:23
21
Alex Aranburu Deva
COFIDIS+2:23
22
Jose Felix Parra Cuerda
CAJA RURAL-SEGUROS RGA+2:23
23
Rick Pluimers
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+2:23
24
Emiel Verstrynge
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+2:25
25
Robbe Dhondt
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+3:19
26
Romain Gregoire
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+3:19
27
Joris Delbove
TOTALENERGIES+3:19
28
Nicolya Vinokurov
XDS ASTANA TEAM+5:54
29
Benjamin Thomas
COFIDIS+5:54
30
Matteo Vercher
TOTALENERGIES+5:54
31
Ben Healy
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+6:30
32
Quentin Pacher
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+6:38
33
Quinn Simmons
LIDL-TREK+7:32
34
Remco Evenepoel
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+7:32
35
Jai Hindley
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+7:32
36
Florian Lipowitz
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+7:32
37
Adam Richard Yates
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+7:32
38
Tadej Pogačar
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+7:32
39
Isaac del Toro Romero
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+7:32
40
Per Strand Hagenes
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+7:32
41
Jonas Vingegaard Hansen
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+7:32
42
Victor Campenaerts
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+7:32
43
Davide Piganzoli
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+7:32
44
Sepp Kuss
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+7:32
45
Derek Gee
LIDL-TREK+7:32
46
Mattias Skjelmose Jennow Jensen
LIDL-TREK+7:32
47
Juan Ayuso Pesquera
LIDL-TREK+7:32
48
Carlos Verona Quintanilla
LIDL-TREK+7:32
49
Tiesj Benoot
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+7:32
50
Nicolas Prodhomme
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+7:32
51
Paul Seixas
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+7:32
52
Matthew Riccitello
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+7:32
53
Tobias Svendsen Foss
NETCOMPANY INEOS+7:32
54
Thymen Arensman
NETCOMPANY INEOS+7:32
55
Egan Arley Bernal Gomez
NETCOMPANY INEOS+7:32
56
Mattia Cattaneo
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+7:32
57
Anders Halland Johannessen
UNO-X MOBILITY+7:32
58
Tobias Halland Johannessen
UNO-X MOBILITY+7:32
59
Richard Antonio Carapaz Montenegro
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+7:32
60
Ilan van Wilder
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+7:32
61
Sean Quinn
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+7:32
62
Matej Mohoric
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+7:32
63
Yannis Voisard
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+7:32
64
Lenny Sydney Martinez
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+7:32
65
Xandro Meurisse
PINARELLO-Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM+7:32
66
Abel Balderstone Roumens
CAJA RURAL-SEGUROS RGA+7:32
67
Ramses Debruyne
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+7:32
68
Nelson Oliveira
MOVISTAR TEAM+7:32
69
Guillaume Martin Guyonnet
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+7:32
70
Vlad van Mechelen
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+7:47
71
Tim van Dijke
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+8:14
72
Kasper Asgreen
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+8:21
73
Quinten Hermans
PINARELLO-Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM+8:37
74
Stefano Oldani
CAJA RURAL-SEGUROS RGA+9:08
75
Valentin Paret Peintre
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+9:22
76
Michel Heßmann
MOVISTAR TEAM+14:03
77
Jonas Abrahamsen
UNO-X MOBILITY+14:03
78
Clément Russo
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+14:21
79
Lorenzo Germani
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+14:21
80
Edward Planckaert
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+15:38
81
Biniam Girmay
NSN CYCLING TEAM+17:14
82
Davide Ballerini
XDS ASTANA TEAM+17:14
83
Sergio Andres Higuita Garcia
XDS ASTANA TEAM+17:16
84
Damiano Caruso
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+17:19
85
Georg Steinhauser
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+17:19
86
Javier Romo Oliver
MOVISTAR TEAM+17:19
87
Edoardo Affini
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+17:19
88
Marco Frigo
NSN CYCLING TEAM+17:19
89
Jan Tratnik
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+17:19
90
Damien Craig Howson
PINARELLO-Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM+17:19
91
Alfred Brockwell Wright
PINARELLO-Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM+17:19
92
Alex Baudin
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+17:19
93
Matteo Jorgenson
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+17:19
94
Antonio Tiberi
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+17:19
95
Bruno Armirail
TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE+17:19
96
Felix Engelhardt
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+17:19
97
Alexandre Delettre
TOTALENERGIES+17:19
98
Louis Vervaeke
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+17:19
99
Jakub Otruba
CAJA RURAL-SEGUROS RGA+17:19
100
Pavel Bittner
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+17:19
101
Max Walker
EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST+17:19
102
Warren Barguil
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+17:19
103
Niklas Märkl
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+17:19
104
Nils Politt
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+17:19
105
Pascal Ackermann
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+17:19
106
John Degenkolb
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+17:19
107
Pascal Eenkhoorn
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+17:19
108
Ewen Costiou
GROUPAMA-FDJ UNITED+17:19
109
Aurélien Paret Peintre
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+17:19
110
Daan Hoole
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+17:19
111
Krists Neilands
NSN CYCLING TEAM+17:19
112
Liam Slock
LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ+17:19
113
Lennert van Eetvelt
LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ+17:19
114
Einer Augusto Rubio Reyes
MOVISTAR TEAM+17:19
115
Thibault Guernalec
TOTALENERGIES+17:19
116
Jasper Stuyven
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+17:19
117
Brent van Moer
PINARELLO-Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM+17:19
118
Joel Nicolau Beltran
CAJA RURAL-SEGUROS RGA+17:19
119
Tom van Asbroeck
NSN CYCLING TEAM+17:19
120
Matis Louvel
NSN CYCLING TEAM+17:19
121
Simone Velasco
XDS ASTANA TEAM+17:19
122
Jefferson Alveiro Cepeda Hernandez
MOVISTAR TEAM+17:19
123
Georg Zimmermann
LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ+17:19
124
Julian Alaphilippe
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+17:19
125
Marco Haller
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+17:19
126
Sebastian Berwick
CAJA RURAL-SEGUROS RGA+17:19
127
Xabier Mikel Azparren Irurzun
PINARELLO-Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM+17:19
128
Pablo Castrillo Zapater
MOVISTAR TEAM+17:19
129
Filippo Ganna
NETCOMPANY INEOS+17:19
130
Thomas Jake Stewart
NSN CYCLING TEAM+17:19
131
Luke Durbridge
TEAM JAYCO ALULA+17:19
132
Jonas Rickaert
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+17:19
133
Toms Skujins
LIDL-TREK+17:19
134
Silvan Dillier
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+17:19
135
Felix Grossschartner
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+17:19
136
Mathias Vacek
LIDL-TREK+17:19
137
Nico Denz
RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE+17:19
138
Mads Pedersen
LIDL-TREK+17:19
139
Tim Marsman
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+17:19
140
Jasper Philipsen
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+17:19
141
Mathieu van der Poel
ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH+17:19
142
Michael Storer
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM+17:19
143
Piet Allegaert
COFIDIS+17:19
144
Hugo Page
COFIDIS+17:19
145
Anders Skaarseth
UNO-X MOBILITY+17:19
146
Michal Kwiatkowski
NETCOMPANY INEOS+22:32
147
Florian Vermeersch
UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG+22:32
148
Joshua Michael Tarling
NETCOMPANY INEOS+22:32
149
Søren Wærenskjold
UNO-X MOBILITY+22:32
150
Dylan van Baarle
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+24:41
151
Kamil Gradek
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+24:52
152
Robert Stannard
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+24:52
153
Huub Artz
LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ+24:52
154
Max Kanter
XDS ASTANA TEAM+24:52
155
Lewis Askey
NSN CYCLING TEAM+24:52
156
Anthon Charmig
UNO-X MOBILITY+24:52
157
Mike Teunissen
XDS ASTANA TEAM+24:52
158
Aaron Murray Gate
XDS ASTANA TEAM+24:52
159
Milan Fretin
COFIDIS+24:52
160
Cees Bol
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+24:52
161
Julius van den Berg
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+24:52
162
Mathis le Berre
TOTALENERGIES+24:52
163
Anthony Turgis
TOTALENERGIES+24:52
164
Baptiste Veistroffer
LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ+24:52
165
Olav Kooij
DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM+24:52
166
Frank van den Broek
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL+24:52
167
Jenthe Biermans
COFIDIS+24:52
168
Tim Merlier
SOUDAL QUICK-STEP+24:52
169
Alex Kirsch
COFIDIS+24:52
170
Phil Bauhaus
BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS+24:52
171
Dorian Godon
NETCOMPANY INEOS+24:57

It was a gain won by getting away from the peloton early on in the race while the panic in the peloton was clear as the top two teams seemed happy to let him go. Bahrain Victorious began chasing as the advantage threatened Lenny Martinez's top-10 position, while Lidl-Trek and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe also worked later in the stage.

Pogačar's UAE team had Brandon McNulty and Tim Wellens in the break. Speaking after the stage on the Tour de France website, Pogačar said: “It was even better for us to have Tom in the front because other teams had to chase. We could sit on the wheels a bit in the last 30 kilometres.”

Pidcock attacked on the Ballon d'Alsace before being caught ahead of the descent. Schmid and Tejada then escaped with 15km remaining, narrowly holding off Pidcock's group.

"There are a lot of positives to take from today," Pidcock told the Tour de France website. "Yet I’m also here to win a stage and it didn’t happen today. It was close, but no cigar. It’s just good to be racing. As a team, we did an amazing job. I am very pleased with the boys. They worked really hard, and I tried to repay them with a win. It didn’t work out, but I did gain a lot of time in the GC. There’s positives and there’s some disappointment.

"I’m going to lose a lot of time in the time trial, that’s for sure. I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing. We definitely earned some respect today from everyone pulling hard behind us, so we will keep doing the same. The upcoming stages are GC days, and we will race them as hard as we can."

The Vosges will test Pidcock's position

Stage 13 continued a consistent Tour for the 26-year-old rider. Pidcock also finished third on stage nine behind Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), despite a late gear-shifting problem that restricted his gearing in the sprint. He has recorded two other top-10 finishes and two further top-20 results.

Those placings show strong breakaway form and an ability to contest difficult stages. Pidcock must now defend fourth against the Tour's leading GC riders in the mountains.

His third place at the 2025 Vuelta a España, behind Vingegaard and João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), provides evidence that he can sustain an overall challenge across three weeks. A Tour podium would require him to protect his position through a different route and competitive field.

That examination begins with the mountainous Vosges weekend. Stage 14 includes about 3,800 metres of climbing before the finish at Le Markstein-Fellering, while stage 15 ends at Plateau de Solaison after an 11.3km final climb averaging 9.1%.

Pidcock's ride has placed him inside the podium contest. The next two stages will show whether he can stay there.

Cover image credit: Thomas Maheux

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Tim Bonville-Ginn

Pro cycling contributor

Tim Bonville-Ginn is a freelance writer who has worked in cycling for well over a decade with his articles being featured across publications such as Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Cyclist, Rouleur, Eurosport, Road cc, Domestique, and more.

As well as writing, Tim has worked as a social media and press manager for professional teams Human Powered Health, Global 6, and Saint Piran across Europe as well as commentating on races such as the African Continental Championships, Tour de Feminin and multiple rounds of the British road and circuit series for Golazo and Monument Cycling.

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