Samwise Cycle Racing Newsletter
Saturday, July 18, 2026
Mauro Schmid Outduels Harold Tejada in Stage 13 Two-Up Sprint to Claim Tour de France Win at Belfort
Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) won Tour de France Stage 13, outsprinting Colombia’s Harold Tejada in a two-man contest at Belfort after the pair broke clear of the peloton across the 205.8-kilometre route from Dole. The Swiss rider timed his sprint perfectly on the run-in to the line to claim his biggest career victory. Tejada finished a close second, with the peloton arriving safely behind. Race leader Tadež Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) retains the yellow jersey. Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel maintained their second and third places in the general classification as the Tour de France heads toward Saturday’s Stage 14.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Tom Pidcock Rockets Into Tour de France Top Four With Stage 13 Breakaway — Now Just 39 Seconds Behind Vingegaard
Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) catapulted himself into fourth place overall at the Tour de France with a decisive Stage 13 breakaway ride, putting him just 39 seconds behind Jonas Vingegaard in the general classification. The British rider joined the long-range escape on the Dole–Belfort route, gaining critical time on rivals to leap from outside the top five into a commanding GC position. Pidcock, best known as a mountain bike specialist and Olympic gold medallist, has proven a revelation in this year’s Tour. His Stage 13 performance has added a new dimension to the battle for the podium places with nine stages remaining before Paris.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Charlotte Kool Wins Baloise Ladies Tour Stage 2 Sprint and Takes Five-Second Overall Lead
Charlotte Kool (Fenix-Premier Tech) claimed victory in Stage 2 of the Baloise Ladies Tour with a dominant sprint finish, seizing the overall race lead by five seconds in the process. The Dutch sprinter described the win as redemption following earlier setbacks in Belgium, crossing the line ahead of the field to move to the top of the general classification. Kool now leads Britain’s Zoë Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) by five seconds, with Nienke Veenhoven (Visma-Lease a Bike) a further two seconds adrift in third. The four-stage Belgian WorldTour race continues with Stage 3 on Saturday.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Maike van der Duin Returns to Podium at Baloise Ladies Tour After 790-Day Wait
Dutch rider Maike van der Duin marked an emotional return to the podium at the Baloise Ladies Tour, placing in the top three for the first time in 790 days. The Visma-Lease a Bike sprinter had endured a lengthy absence from the podium and described her return as a sign that she had come back from a very difficult period in her career. Van der Duin was visibly moved after the stage, telling reporters: ‘I’ve come from a really low point.’ Her return to form in Belgium will be welcomed by her team as the women’s WorldTour season reaches its mid-point with several major races still ahead.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Leadville Trail 100 MTB Given Green Light for August 15 Despite Willow Fire Course Reroute
The Leadville Trail 100 MTB has been given the green light to proceed on August 15 despite a mandatory course reroute caused by the Willow Fire, which has burned around 6,877 acres in the Colorado mountains with 37 per cent containment as of July 16. Race organisers Life Time confirmed the go-ahead, noting that US Forest Service closure orders covering the Powerline area — including county roads 30 and 10 and the Turquoise Lake to Twin Lakes corridor — will require the course to look significantly different. The race is the third of six Life Time Grand Prix events and a key fixture on the elite mountain bike calendar.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Gaviria and Berckmoes Out of Tour de France With Broken Collarbones Following Stage 12 Sprint Crash
Two Tour de France riders have been confirmed out of the race following the Stage 12 mass sprint crash: Fernando Gaviria (Caja Rural) and Jasper Berckmoes (Lotto-Intermarché) both suffered fractured collarbones. Gaviria broke his left collarbone and abandoned immediately, while Berckmoes underwent surgery in Belgium on July 17. Four other riders involved — Søren Wærenskjold, Jonas Abrahamsen and Anthon Charmig (Uno-X Mobility), plus Antoine Godon (Netcompany Ineos) — passed medical checks and started Stage 13. Godon suffered abrasions and back pain but cleared a concussion test. Lotto-Intermarché’s Liam Slock sustained abrasions only and was expected to continue.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Brian Holm: Vingegaard Has to Fight Harder to Stay Second Than to Win — Pidcock Just 39 Seconds Back
Sports director Brian Holm has warned that Jonas Vingegaard faces as tough a battle to hold second place as he would to win the Tour de France outright, with Tom Pidcock sitting just 39 seconds behind the Visma-Lease a Bike rider in the general classification. Holm told Cyclingnews: ‘Vingegaard has to fight more to stay second than he does to win.’ With Pidcock’s Stage 13 breakaway having dramatically closed the gap, Holm sees a genuine battle developing for the runner-up position over the nine remaining stages to Paris. Tadež Pogačar leads the race by more than three minutes and 30 seconds over Vingegaard.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
General Classification — After Stage 13
Yellow Jersey — Tadež Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
1. Tadež Pogačar ▬ UAE Team Emirates-XRG
2. Jonas Vingegaard +3:36 Visma-Lease a Bike
3. Remco Evenepoel +4:06 Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
4. Tom Pidcock +4:15 Pinarello-Q36.5
5. Juan Ayuso +4:22 Lidl-Trek
Stage 14 — Underway Today
Results pending | Started 13:10 CET
🎁 Points (Green): Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
🏆 Stage 13: Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) — two-man sprint win in Belfort
Curated by JD · samwise.agency