2026 Tour de France Stage 13 Preview | Breakaway must be careful in soaking wet conditions

We have had two fairly flat stages at the Tour de France, resulting in two bunch sprints. Now we are really heading to the mountains. The Vosges are on the schedule, and the peloton immediately tackles one of the most iconic climbs of the Tour de France. Who is the best over the Ballon d'Alsace? IDL Pro Cycling considers the favorites!

After two sprinter stages, the Vosges looms ahead. We’ll start in Dole, about sixty kilometers from Chalon-sur-Saône, the finish line for Stage 12. From this small town, the race will begin just like the previous two days: it’s flat—very flat. There won’t be much to see to the northeast, but it’s likely to be a fierce battle on the flat for the breakaway. Why? We’ll find out later in the stage.

After 137 kilometers, there’s an intermediate sprint in Mélisey. Fun fact: Thibaut Pinot has a farm there, which he’s made available to a few lucky fans during the Tour de France. The road then begins to climb slightly, but shortly after Servance, the Col des Croix looms ahead. It’s not a particularly difficult climb (5.1 kilometers at a 4.8 percent gradient), but it does mark the first real gain in elevation.

It also marks the start of the final stage. After a short descent and a stretch through the valley, we begin the climb up the Ballon d'Alsace. In 1905, the Vosges Pass was the very first mountain the riders ever had to climb during the Tour de France. Back then, conditions were much worse than they are now, and the pass owes its legendary status primarily to its history.

It’s not all that tough. 8.9 kilometers long, with an average gradient of 6.9 percent: it won’t strike fear into the hearts of the favorites. It’s also very consistent, as the steepest section is just over 8 percent. The summit of the col is thirty kilometers from the finish line. That’s still quite a few kilometers, and too far for the favorites to make a move. Probably.

The descent does have quite a few technical sections, but it isn’t very steep either. After about thirteen kilometers downhill, the riders will have to push hard from Giromagny to the finish line along a slightly downhill stretch. From there, they still have about 17 kilometers to go to the finish line, which is in Belfort. Don’t expect any surprises there: there’s just one turn 500 meters before the finish.

Times
Start: 1:20 p.m CET
Finish: around 6:05 p.m CET

Anyone who’s been to Alsace knows it can be a bit spooky there. And after days of hot, dry weather, we’ll finally get some heavy downpours. At the start in Dole, it’s about 24 degrees: it’ll be dry in the morning, but it’ll start raining later. In Belfort, it will also be cooler, with a high of 26 degrees and plenty of rain. At the summit of the Ballon d’Alsace, it will be around twenty degrees, but it will be raining there, too. Looks like a wet descent!

Too far from the finish, and not challenging enough: the Ballon d'Alsace is indeed the decisive climb on Stage 13, but mainly for a breakaway group, it seems. These are the stages many attackers have been waiting for. They didn’t get the chance in Le Lioran and Les Angles, but today is the day. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) is one of the top contenders for this kind of stage.

However, the American team can also count on Alex Baudin, Sean Quinn, and Ben Healy. It’s one of the strongest attacking teams in the Tour, but XDS Astana can also count itself among them. With riders like Sergio Higuita, Harold Tejada, and Simone Velasco, they also have several contenders. Netcompany INEOS can count on Thymen Arensman, Tobias Foss, and Kévin Vauquelin.

Soudal Quick-Step also has plenty of options. Louis Vervaeke and Valentin Paret-Peintre could seize their chance. Jayco AlUla has no general classification contenders but has several horses in the race: Luke Plapp, Mauro Schmid, Ben O'Connor... Even Michael Matthews, if the race plays out in his favor. Uno-X Mobility also has a strong hand with Magnus Cort, as well as Tobias Halland Johannessen and Anthon Charmig.

With Cian Uijtdebroeks out of the race, attackers Raúl García Pierna, Pablo Castrillo, Jefferson Cepeda, and Javier Romo have a clear path for Movistar. Lotto-Intermarché may have just the right kind of rider in Lennert Van Eetvelt: a strong climber who can also sprint fast. Liam Slock might also be up to the challenge on a stage like this.

Cofidis is counting on the Spaniards Alex Aranburu and Ion Izagirre, while Groupama-FDJ is hoping for a strong performance from Romain Grégoire. Otherwise, they also have Guillaume Martin and Ewen Costiou. Tudor will likely send Michael Storer to the front, and TotalEnergies has Jordan Jegat. Picnic PostNL is counting on Frank van den Broek and Warren Barguil, while Caja Rural-Seguros RGA is pinning its hopes on climbers Abel Balderstone and Joel Nicolau.

Then there are a lot of riders who are capable, but will they be allowed to race? Visma | Lease a Bike might be able to field Bruno Armirail, while Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe could deploy Maxim Van Gils and Tim van Dijke. For Tim Wellens and Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), this is also a top-tier race, while Mathias Vacek is a perfect candidate for Lidl-Trek. Quinn Simmons, Derek Gee-West, and Toms Skujins also have a chance.

Should we also factor in Tadej Pogacar on a day like this? The powerhouse gives the breakaway riders no chance, but on this day, there seems to be very little for him to gain. But never say never...

Top Favorites: Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek)
Outsiders: Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), and Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto-Intermarché)
Long shots: Ben O’Connor, Michael Matthews, Luke Plapp (all Jayco AlUla), Alex Baudin, Ben Healy (both EF Education-EasyPost), Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Michael Storer (Tudor), Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Raúl García Pierna, Pablo Castrillo (both Movistar), Frank van den Broek (Picnic PostNL), Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility), Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step), Thymen Arensman, and Kévin Vauquelin (Netcompany INEOS)