Racing 17 Jul 2026, 7:08PM

Race Sharp at 50 km/h: Pidcock takes stage podium, Combativity Award and climbs to fourth overall

The Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team delivered one of the most aggressive and complete performances of its debut Tour de France on Stage 13, placing four riders in the decisive breakaway before Tom Pidcock attacked over the Ballon d’Alsace, finished third in Belfort and climbed six positions to fourth overall.

Three days. Three extraordinary average speeds.

Stage 13 from Dole to Belfort was completed at an exact average speed of 50.00 km/h, underlining once again the relentless intensity of this year's Tour de France.

At those speeds, every aerodynamic detail starts to matter. When the race is contested at a sustained 50 km/h and four Pinarello Q36.5 riders are represented in the day's decisive move, performance is no longer measured only in watts, but in the ability to convert energy into speed, kilometre after kilometre. In racing conditions like these, every gain becomes cumulative.

At those speeds, Pinarello Q36.5 did not wait for the race to unfold. It created it.

Pidcock was joined by Quinten Hermans, Xandro Meurisse and British National Champion Fred Wright when a group of 37 riders went clear with approximately 170 kilometres remaining.

With four riders represented, Pinarello Q36.5 immediately committed to the move. The breakaway continued to extend its advantage kilometre after kilometre, eventually reaching eight minutes and putting Pidcock firmly into contention for both the stage victory and a significant gain in the General Classification. It was another demonstration of how preparation, equipment and execution become inseparable when the race is ridden at the limits of modern professional cycling.

"We thought always from the start and try to get in the break. If we can sustain at the front, do minimum. It's always going to be hard riding in a peloton at that speed anyway, so just try and stay a bit nearer the front. "There was a split. Forty of us were in the front. Forty guys with four of us. There's a perfect situation. From there, we just rode. Everyone was cooperating and it was so fast. The first part of the race. Unbelievable"

The team remained in control as the race approached the day's decisive climbs, with Wright, Meurisse and Hermans delivering Pidcock into the perfect position before the Briton launched his attack on the first-category Ballon d'Alsace.

Responding to every acceleration on the 8.8-kilometre climb before making his own move inside the final kilometre, Pidcock crested the summit first to claim maximum King of the Mountains points and lead the race onto the descent.

"I was thinking a lot about the stage, but maybe the climb was not difficult enough to make the difference. And then we come to the finish with some guys and really difficult to control there by myself."

Without a teammate alongside him in the finale, Pidcock responded alone to every decisive attack before sprinting to third place in Belfort, just two seconds behind stage winner Mauro Schmid.

His relentless attacking ride was also recognised by the Tour de France jury, which awarded race number 171 the CENTURY 21 Prix de la Combativité as the most combative rider of Stage 13.

The result transformed the General Classification. Starting the day in tenth place, Pidcock gained six positions and now sits fourth overall, just nine seconds from the Tour podium.

Race Sharp. At exactly 50 kilometres per hour. Days like this are where the aerodynamic efficiency and thermoregulating performance of the Q36.5 Dottore Pro Race Suit are integral parts of racing at the highest level.

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