Stage 13 of the 2026 Tour de France was a day for the breakaway, with the peloton content to let the move go on a relentlessly fast route that was raced at full gas from start to finish. Despite easing the pressure on the escapees, the speed never relented, making it one of the hardest-fought breakaway stages of the race so far.
Tom Pidcock was once again one of the biggest animators of the day. On the stage's biggest climb, he drove the pace at the front of the breakaway, trying to distance Kevin Vauquelin, Tim Wellens and Brandon McNulty. He committed fully to the move, but left his attack just too late and couldn't shake his rivals before the finale.
One of the biggest talking points came from behind the leading groups. Mads Pedersen spent a huge amount of energy riding on the front for Lidl-Trek to help bring back the second breakaway, protecting the team's position in the team classification despite wearing the green jersey and needing to save energy to retain it.
We also analyse how the stage-winning move finally came together, assess the rides of the top three finishers, and look at how Pidcock's aggressive performance has moved him further up the general classification ahead of another crucial mountain stage.
In the second half of the episode, David Millar shares his thoughts on the questions that continue to surround Tadej Pogačar and doping in modern cycling, offering his perspective as someone who has experienced the sport from both sides of its most controversial era.
Ned Boulting and David Millar break down Stage 13 of the Tour de France 2026.
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🏅 For The Love Of Cycling is presented by Science in Sport, a pioneer in endurance fuelling: Backed by science. Trusted by athletes.
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