1 : SCHMID TAKES THE LION’S SHARE
After finishing second in Toulouse last year, beaten only by Jonas Abrahamsen, Mauro Schmid finally claimed the first Tour de France stage victory of his career this Friday in Belfort. The Swiss rider is the fourth cyclist to get a maiden success in the Grande Boucle during this year's edition, following Isaac Del Toro (stage 2), Olav Kooij (stage 5), and Soren Wærenskjold (stage 11).
14 : A LINEAR PROGRESSION
At the age of 26, Mauro Schmid claimed his 14th professional victory beneath the gaze of the Lion of Bartholdi. The former Swiss champion had secured his first win at a Grand Tour. In 2021, he proved the strongest on the gravel roads of Tuscany during the Giro. Furthermore, the 2026 season has been the most prolific of his career, claiming five victories, including a stage of the Tour of Oman and the overall classification at the Settimana Coppi e Bartali.
60 : SWITZERLAND TASTES VICTORY AGAIN
After a six-year wait following Marc Hirschi’s success in Sarran in 2020 – he also featured in the day’s breakaway, finishing 15th –, Switzerland finds glory at the Tour thanks to Mauro Schmid. In doing so, the Jayco-AlUla rider secured his country’s 60th victory in the Grande Boucle. Notably, the Alpine nation was the first foreign country to win a stage, thanks to Charles Laeser who triumphed on stage 4 of the inaugural 1903 edition ! Tour icons Fabian Cancellara and Ferdi Kübler (winner of the 1950 edition) have been Switzerland’s most prolific winners, claiming eight stage victories each.
1 : HELVETIAN "BALLON "
Between Dole and Belfort, the Ballon d’Alsace stood in the way of the peloton for the twenty-ninth time in Tour de France history. By winning this Friday, Mauro Schmid became the first Swiss rider to claim a stage featuring this legendary climb. The first rider to achieve this feat was the French Hyppolyte Aucouturier back in 1905. However, that year, the finish line was in Besançon. To find a winner in Belfort following the ascent of the Ballon d’Alsace, we must go back to 1907. Another French, Émile Georget, took the victory after cresting the Vosges summit in the lead.
3 : THE STREAK CONTINUES
Thanks to Mauro Schmid, the team Jayco–AlUla has kept its streak alive. The Australian squad has now won a stage in each of the last three Tours ! Dutch sprinter Dylan Groenewegen first raised his arms in victory in Dijon in 2024, following Ben O’Connor’s triumph on the Col de la Loze the previous year. Under its various names since making its Tour debut in 2012, Jayco–AlUla has racked up 12 stage wins in the race, first with Simon Gerrans in Calvi in 2013.
4 : REMONTADA
Part of a 57-rider breakaway this Friday, Tom Pidcock (Pinarello – Q36.5) made a spectacular move up the general classification. Starting the stage in Dole in 10th place, the British clawed back 7 minutes and 34 seconds on Yellow Jersey wearer Tadej Pogacar. The two-time Olympic mountain bike champion thus climbed to fourth place, sitting 4 minutes and 15 seconds behind the Slovenian leader. This position, just off the provisional podium, marks his best-ever general classification standing in the Tour. Pidcock had previously reached fifth place in 2022, following stage 6 in Longwy.
1 : A HISTORIC PRIZE
First Tour, first award ! The Pinarello – Q36.5 team secured the very first prize in its history at the Grande Boucle, thanks to Tom Pidcock. The British rider, who finished third on the stage and went on the attack on the Ballon d’Alsace, was awarded the combativity prize. This honor served as recognition of the efforts of his teammates Fred Wright, Xandro Meurisseand Quinten Hermans, all three of whom played a significative role in the progress of the breakaway. With this achievement, every team participating in the 2026 Tour has now been awarded at least once during its history on French roads.
205,8 : LA PLUS COURTE DES PLUS LONGUES
This 13th stage, running from Dole to Belfort, was the longest of the 2026 Tour de France, covering 205.8 kilometres. It also ranks as the shortest of the longest stages ever rode across the 113 editions of the Tour de France's history ! The five "shortest among the longest" stages of the Grande Boucle have all taken place during this decade :
2026 : stage 13, Dole - Belfort, 205.8 km
2023 : stage 2, Vitoria-Gasteiz – San Sebastian, 207.3 km
2025 : stage 2, Lauwin-Planque - Boulogne-sur-Mer, 209.1 km
2020 : stage 12, Chauvigny – Sarran, 218 km
2022 : stage 6, Binche – Longwy, 219.9 km
70 : UAE LIVES IN YELLOW
Still firmly leading the general classification, Tadej Pogacar has been awarded another Yellow Jersey, the 63rd of his career. Yet beyond his impressive personal record, the Slovenian has enabled his UAE Emirates-XRG team to claim the iconic jersey for the 70th time in its history. While the first two were secured by the Swiss Rubens Bertogliati in 2002 — when the team was known as Lampre-Daikin — the others were claimed by the Norwegian Alexander Kristoff (1 day in 2020) and the British Adam Yates (4 days in 2023).
