"Tomorrow's stage is a bit of a weird one," was how race leader Tadej Pogačar described stage 13 to Eurosport broadcasters after a safe entry into Chalon-sur-Saône on Thursday.
At 205.8km, stage 13 is the longest stage of the Tour, and the only one over 200 kilometres. The terrain undulates toward the Swiss border, then tacks on two stiff climbs for late action. The profile favours breakaway specialists, and in his pre-Tour route comments, Race Directeur Christian Prudhomme said: "It could take some time for that group to form".
After back-to-back sprint stages, the opportunists in the peloton will want to capitalise on this challenging stage into Belfort.
Points at finish: 50-30-20-18-16-14-12-10-8-7-6-5- 4-3-2
With under 63km to go, the only intermediate sprint of the day comes at Mélisey, the home of Thibaut Pinot, and riders can cast their eyes to the east to see the category 1 Ballon d'Alsace, 8.8 km at an average of 6.9%. But before that climb, the third-category Col des Croix (5.2km at 4.9%) needs to be completed with a run through the Moselle Valley.
The Ballon d’Alsace appeared at the Tour 121 years ago, becoming the first mountain stage of the race. Riders won't take any time for selfies at the top to memorialise the summit as a technical descent then offers a chance to open a gap and dive down into Belfort to claim victory.
Image 1 of 2
Stage 13 profile at the 2026 Tour de France
(Image credit: ASO)
Route map of stage 13 at the 2026 Tour de France
(Image credit: ASO)
Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
