Stage 13

The road

At the start

Down from the Alpe, on to Saint-Étienne

Tom Pidcock won at Alpe d'Huez and Tadej Pogačar failed to take a second back from Jonas Vingegaard, who leads the Slovenian by 2:22 and Geraint Thomas by 2:26. Today the race comes down off the mountain: 193 kilometres from Le Bourg-d'Oisans to Saint-Étienne along the river valleys, one second-category climb 114 from home and nothing much after it. The fast men would like the race back.

How it was won

1. 145 km to go

   The climb that ends Ewan's day

   6.6km at 4.5% is enough. Ewan eases off with nothing left, dropped from the chase group and wincing, while Simmons falls out of the break. The GC teams take over and the pace eases so much the six leaders crest three and a half minutes clear.

2. 212 km to go

   Pedersen lights the fuse

   With twelve kilometres left the Dane goes hard and only Wright and Houle can answer. Ganna, Küng and Jorgenson suffer and never make the connection — the stage is now a three-man affair.

3. 33 km to go

   Attacks and counter-attacks

   Houle fires inside eight kilometres and is covered; Wright makes his move three kilometres out and Pedersen drags him straight back. With two to go the trio start playing games and Houle takes the front into the flamme rouge.

4. 4At the line

   Pedersen jumps first in Saint-Etienne

   Houle looks back with 600 metres to go and Pedersen goes inside 300, the former world champion holding off Wright for his first Tour de France stage.

The result