‘Maybe it’s the same as last year’ - Mauro Schmid feared more Tour heartbreak before dream win

The Swiss rider escaped with Tejada shortly after the descent of the Ballon d’Alsace and held off the chasing group before beating the Colombian in a tense two man sprint.

For Schmid, who narrowly missed out on a Tour stage victory in Toulouse last year, the result carried an extra emotional weight.

“I can’t believe it at the moment,” Schmid said in the flash interview shortly after crossing the line. “It was an incredibly hard day from the start. We were keen with the whole team to be there in the breakaway. We tried many times over the last couple of days, and so far it didn’t really go as planned.”

Stage 13 was raced at an extraordinary speed from the opening kilometres. After repeated attacks, a huge breakaway eventually formed and grew to 57 riders, making it increasingly likely that the stage winner would come from the front of the race.

Schmid had already made the initial breakaway when a second group, containing Jayco AlUla teammates Ben O’Connor, Michael Matthews and Luke Plapp, bridged across. Their arrival strengthened the team’s position at the front and allowed Schmid to save energy after the relentless opening phase.

“The boys came from the back, so I could just sit on,” he said. “It was pretty much perfect.”

The decisive selection came on the Ballon d’Alsace, where the front group was reduced by a series of attacks. Schmid admitted he had doubts about whether he would survive the first category climb, particularly when O’Connor began setting a demanding tempo.

“I was a bit worried the climb might be too hard for me,” Schmid said. “At the beginning, when Ben paced, I was thinking that maybe I wasn’t sure if I could go to the top like this.”

The uneven rhythm of the climb ultimately worked in his favour. Accelerations from riders including Maxim Van Gils and Tom Pidcock repeatedly stretched the group, but the pace would then ease again.

“For me it was quite good that it was a bit stop and go,” Schmid said. “That suits me better.”

A select group crossed the summit together, with Pidcock, Tim Wellens, Brandon McNulty, Plapp, Tejada and Schmid among those still in contention. Schmid initially focused on staying in contact during the descent, knowing Matthews remained in a chasing group behind.

“I was basically spending the first part of the downhill making sure I wasn’t getting dropped and trying to bring the pace down a little bit,” he said.

When Wellens attacked with 16 kilometres remaining, the move was quickly closed. Schmid and Tejada then seized their opportunity and opened a small advantage.

“I just tried one time and got away,” Schmid said.

His concern increased when his legs began to tighten.

“I started to cramp up a little bit with four kilometres to go, so I got a little bit worried,” he said. “I stayed at the back with two kilometres to go and hoped he would go from the front.”

Tejada refused to lead out the sprint and eventually forced Schmid to take the front position. It was an uncomfortable situation for the Swiss rider, who could not avoid thinking about his defeat in Toulouse.

“It came through my mind many times,” Schmid said. “I launched it a bit late, and for the first 50 metres I thought, ‘Maybe it’s the same as last year.’”

This time, however, Schmid found enough strength to hold off Tejada as the finish line approached.

“When I saw the finish line, I found my legs again and just went for it.”

Schmid was quick to present the victory as a collective achievement rather than an individual one. O’Connor and Matthews had helped shape the race on the climb, while Plapp’s work in the final kilometres made it more difficult for the chasing group to organise itself.

“In the end, I’m the lucky one who stands on top, but it’s a whole team,” Schmid said. “Everybody behind the scenes worked so hard for this. It is really a victory for the team and not only for me.”

The victory also brought a sense of redemption. Twelve months after being denied in Toulouse, Schmid had returned to the Tour and finished the job, turning one of his most painful near misses into the defining win of his career.

“I worked super hard for this one,” he said. “Last year I came close, and to be able to win, I think I need a few hours to realise what actually happened. At the moment, I’m still a bit speechless.”