Following a single day of rest, riders in the 1973 Tour de France were confronted with two hard days of Pyrenean climbing. Jose-Manuel Fuente managed to escape the field over the Col de Menté during the first of these in stage 13 (Bourg-Madame - Luchon). However, by the bottom of the hill he had been caught by the lead chase group as seen here with Fuente (KAS) still barely ahead, followed by Bernard Thevenet (Peugeot-BP-Michelin, wearing the Maillot Tricolore of the French National Champion), Luis Ocana (BIC, in the Maillot Jaune), Francisco Galdos (KAS), Joop Zoetemelk (Gitane, barely visible over Thevenet’s right shoulder), and Pedro Torres (La Casera). While Zoetemelk did mount an attack just in advance of the final climb, Ocana followed in hot pursuit and not only caught the Dutchman but managed to drop him by 15 seconds on the incline. Thevenet would finish in fifth place for the stage and remained at third place in the overall standings behind Ocana and Fuente.
