Jayco AlUla Swiss rider Mauro Schmid pulled off the move alongside Harold Tejada and ultimately the victory of the thirteenth stage came down to a thrilling sprint. Tom Pidcock finished fourth and, thanks to the breakaway, moved up to fourth place in the general classification.

Belfort gave Mauro Schmid the most important day of his career. The Swiss rider won the stage that was viewed unfavorably by superstitious riders in the peloton, because it's Friday the 17th and it's the thirteenth stage. But it must be said that this is also the longest stage of this edition with its 205.8 kilometers from Dole. Schmid's victory came at the end of a breakaway that initially saw as many as 57 riders involved. A day interpreted as a real battle to get into the right attack, because everyone had understood that this was the ideal opportunity for the breakaway riders.

In the end, after an incredibly tough and selective day, only Schmid and Harold Tejada remained to fight for victory. The Colombian tried to play his cards, but the Swiss rider found the energy to come back and secure a victory he had been chasing for a long time.

«I still can't believe it. It was an incredibly hard day from the start - Schmid said after the finish line - We were all very motivated, together with the team, to win the breakaway. We tried several times over the last few days, but so far it hadn't gone as planned».

The Jayco AlUla rider had come close to success last year in Toulouse, when he was beaten by Jonas Abrahamsen. A memory that inevitably returned to his mind during the final duel with Tejada.

«That day came back to mind many times. About four kilometers from the finish line I started to get cramps and I got worried. I stayed in the back two kilometers from the finish, almost hoping that Tejada would pass me. Then, at a certain point, he forced me to take the lead».

The sprint was another battle. «I think I started a bit late and in the first fifty meters I thought maybe it would go like last year. Then, when I saw the finish line, I found my legs again and gave everything».

A victory built also thanks to an extraordinary team. Schmid wanted to share the success with his teammates, protagonists of a perfect day: «In the end I'm the one at the top, but it's thanks to the whole team and all the people who worked behind the scenes. It's a victory for everyone».

Fundamental, in particular, the work of men like Ben O'Connor and Luke Plapp, who helped make the breakaway increasingly solid. «When Ben started setting the pace on the climb, I wondered if I would be able to follow him. In the end, the tempo surges helped me. Plapp played a very important role, following all the moves».

Schmid's success also changes the general classification. Among the protagonists of the breakaway was Tom Pidcock, who closed in fourth place on the day and gained ground on his rivals, thus entering the top five of the general classification and moving up to fourth place.

For Schmid, however, today there is above all a personal milestone: his first Tour de France stage victory, after already winning a stage at the Giro d'Italia.

«I worked hard for this. Last year I came close and today I finally did it. I think I need a few hours to realize what happened, because right now I'm still speechless».

Mauro Schmid today was truly the man of the breakaway and, after having come close to the dream a year ago, this time success didn't slip away from him and at the finish line his joy won over the entire crowd present.