It is 12:30 in Dole. Stage 13 of the 2026 Tour de France is about to begin. The longest day of this year's race: 205.8 kilometres to Belfort, plus another 12 kilometres behind the neutral flag.

Jens starts the engine. "Let's go!"

For the next five hours, he will spend almost the entire day around twentyfive kilometres ahead of the race. Not behind it. Ahead of it.

Twenty-five years as a Sports Director have taught him that the Tour rarely rewards improvisation. Every traffic island, every narrowing of the road, every exposed field where the wind suddenly changes direction, every descent, every village packed with spectators... someone has to see it first.

That someone is him. This is the avant-course. The invisible race before the race.

Technology has transformed this role. Veloviewer, internet satelite connectivity, live weather feeds, wind forecasting, GPS tracking and race telemetry have made information available almost instantly.

But they have also made the job more demanding. 

The flag drops. The peloton explodes from the very first kilometre.

The opening hour is raced at an astonishing average speed of 55 km/h.

Inside Car 2, there is barely time to look away from the road. Jens scans the horizon, then points towards a line of flags fluttering beside an open field: "Look at the flags... maybe crosswind from the left."

He smiles: "This is still analogue." Some things no software will ever replace.

At 13:55, fifty kilometres have already disappeared beneath the wheels.

Lunch time. In movement, of course.

While the riders reach into their musettes, Jens grabs a quick bite without ever taking his attention away from the road ahead. Every few moments another message goes over race radio.

Road furniture. A narrow bridge. A sharp left-hand bend. A section of rough tarmac.

Everything is communicated. Everything is noted. Everything has a purpose.

The race keeps accelerating.

The team car cruises at around 70 km/h, easing only through villages, roundabouts and the crowds lining the roadside. Three times within barely an hour, Jens has to accelerate hard again, opening the gap back to where he wants it.

Then, the race begins to unfold. One rider after another bridges across.

Soon, four Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team riders are driving the day's decisive breakaway.

Inside the car, there is no celebration. Only concentration.

The numbers begin to tell the story. Four minutes. Then five. Six. Seven. At 140 kilometres raced, the advantage reaches eight minutes.

By now, several teams have organised themselves on the front of the peloton, trying to bring the race back together. But our riders refuse to slow.

They keep pulling. They keep believing.

Jens glances briefly at the timing screen before looking back to the road.

"You never drive the road you're on" he says quietly. "You're always driving the next one."

Thirty-seven kilometres remain. The road pitches upwards onto the Ballon d'Alsace.

Tom Pidcock attacks. No hesitation. No second thoughts. Just full commitment.

What follows is one of the defining performances of this Tour de France.

A relentless fight for the stage victory.

Tom crosses the line in third place. But the result goes far beyond a podium. He has taken seven and a half minutes out of his General Classification rivals. Fourth overall. Just ten seconds away from the Tour de France podium.

The television cameras remain fixed on the finish line. They capture the celebrations. The podium. The interviews.

What they never show is Car 2 already leaving Belfort. Tomorrow's route is waiting. Another road to study. Another weather forecast to analyse. Another hundred decisions that, if made correctly, nobody will ever notice. And perhaps that is the greatest compliment for an avant course Sports Director.

When everything works perfectly, the work remains invisible.

At Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, we know that great performances rarely begin on the finish line. They begin hours earlier. Dozens of kilometres ahead.

Prepare with precision and Race Sharp.