Cummings wins stage and glory for DiData
LAC DE PAYOLLE: Britain’s Stephen Cummings powered away on the Col d’Aspin to claim a second career Tour de France stage win as title contender Thibaut Pinot cracked in a seventh stage that ended in chaos yesterday.
As Team Dimension Data rider Cummings celebrated his stunning solo win, back down the road the inflatable arch, marking 1km to go, deflated and collapsed, slowing down the bunch, even causing fellow Briton Adam Yates to crash.
Organisers said they would probably take into account the times at the 3km mark.
Belgium’s Greg van Avermaet retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey.
Cummings, who last year won in Mende, jumped away from the day’s breakaway and held off 2014 Tour champion Vincenzo Nibali on the Col d’Aspin, the first big climb this year, before descending safely to the Lac de Payolle to give his African team their fourth stage win this year.
Mark Cavendish had already won three sprints and Cummings showed again that Dimension Data could also play a role in the mountains as the Tour entered the Pyrenees.
“Of all my victories, I think it’s the best one. The Tour is the Tour, it’s special,” Cummings said.
“I didn’t need to win a stage this year. I had a different condition from last year as I started the Tour riding for Mark (Cavendish), who is such a winner and an inspiration. It’s brilliant, it’s fantastic.”
In the main bunch, Pinot’s FDJ team pulled in front at the foot of Aspin, a 12km ascent at an average gradient of 6.5 percent, but the Frenchman, third in the 2014 Tour and one of the favourites this year, was then dropped, his face a mask of pain. He crossed the line more than two-and-a-half minutes behind the other top guns.
South Africa’s Daryl Impey (Orica-Bike Exchange) was second and Spain’s Dani Navarri (Cofidis) took third place, 1:05 behind Cummings.
Cummings was part of a 29-man breakaway that split into several groups with about 30km to go. He attacked with 27km remaining and never looked back.
Van Avermaet, who managed to be in the day’s break, took fifth place, over a minute ahead of the favourites to extend his lead to 6:36 over France’s Julian Alaphilippe and 6:38 over Spain’s Alejandro Valverde.
Defending champion Chris Froome and last year’s runner-up Nairo Quintana stayed fifth and seventh respectively, both 6:42 off the pace.
Yates, who crossed the finish line with blood on his chin, immediately went for a medical check-up
“He was on his own when it happened, the arch fell in front of him and he did not have time to brake so he did a somersault and fell on his face,” said Orica-Bike Exchange sports director Lorenzo Lapage.
Yates lost considerable ground but he and the members of the bunch who were slowed down by the incident should not lose time.
“We have a time control at the 3km mark, so it is likely that we’ll be taking the timings at that point,” said race director Thierry Gouvenou.
“We’re doing our best to make up for it. It’s a major incident but we’ve got the means to face this.” – Reuters