Nearly 40 degrees: Van der Poel wins the heat battle

Former world champion Mathieu van der Poel won the shortened, hot stage of the 113th Tour de France in the Massif Central.

July 12, 2026

From: dpa/apa

The classics specialist prevailed in a sprint finish after 154,6 kilometers between Malemort and Ussel, beating Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR) and Tom Pidcock (GBR). It is the 31-year-old Dutchman's third stage win at the Tour de France.

The stage was shortened by around 30 kilometers due to the high temperatures – a first in the long history of the tour. A red heat alert had been issued for the Corrèze department, where temperatures reached almost 40 degrees Celsius.

Pogacar remains in the yellow jersey

Overall leader Tadej Pogacar finished eleventh, just six seconds behind van der Poel, successfully defending the yellow jersey. His lead over pursuer Jonas Vingegaard remains at 2:42 minutes.

The riders will have their first rest day on Monday. Then, on Tuesday, the race continues in the Massif Central. On the French national holiday, they will have to conquer 3.800 meters of elevation gain and two category 1 climbs between Aurillac and Le Lioran.

Keywords cycling Tour de France Mathieu van der Poel Heat frankreich