Along with the breakaway that brought Mauro Schmid to victory, a major shake-up in the general classification came thanks to Tom Pidcock, who was part of that group that attempted the big move in the breakaway.

The British rider finished third at Belfort, climbing six positions in the general classification: he is now fourth, just 9 seconds behind Evenepoel and 1'16" behind Vingegaard. A huge leap forward, achieved at the end of the longest stage of the Tour and on a day when the British rider was also awarded the most combative rider.

The assessment, however, is inevitably mixed. On one hand, the satisfaction of the significant gain in the standings, on the other, the regret of missing a stage victory that seemed within reach.

"There are certainly many positive aspects to learn from, but we were also here to try to win the stage. It didn't happen today: we came very close, but it wasn't enough," Pidcock said after the finish line.

The British rider, however, wanted to highlight his team's work, which was the protagonist of a day of great quality. "It's a fantastic feeling to race like this. As a team we did incredible work and I'm really very proud of the guys. They worked hard and I tried to thank them by giving them the victory. It didn't go exactly as we hoped, but we're recovering a lot of time in the general classification".

Fourth place in the overall standings inevitably changes Pidcock's Tour prospects as well. The British rider knows, however, that the time trial could cost him time: "I know I'll lose quite a bit of time in the time trial, that's for sure, but it doesn't matter. I'll keep doing what I'm doing".

And this seems to be exactly his plan for the coming days: no revolution, no waiting game. Pidcock wants to continue racing on the attack, as he did in the breakaway that took him to the Belfort podium.

"I think today we've earned everyone's respect. They had to push hard behind us to catch us. We'll keep racing the same way".

The British rider is now in the heart of the fight for the general classification, but he knows the Tour is still long and that the mountains could change the balance again. "The coming days will be crucial for the general classification and we'll face them giving our best".

The stage victory slipped away, but Pidcock still landed a heavyweight blow. From an outsider in the standings to the fourth man of the Tour: his race, after Belfort, has suddenly changed dimension.