Instead Stephen Cummings seized the moment on the 162.5-kilometer stage from L’Isle Jourdain to Lac de Payolle.
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He said: “We have a time control at the 3km (left) mark so it is likely that we’ll be taking the timings at that point. Of all my victories, I think this has to be my best one”, Cummings said.
“There’s not much you can do about it but it’s a good job it’s not a sprint stage when we’re going 70 or 80 kilometres per hour”.
While his rivals in the fight for the yellow jersey came out unscathed from the first big ascent of this year’s race on Friday, France’s top hope crossed the finish line almost seven minutes after stage victor Steve Cummings, losing just over three minutes to the group that included defending champion Chris Froome.
Froome remains fifth overall but is now six minutes and 42 seconds behind Van Avermaet.
The 35-year-old rides for Data Dimenson, the same team as Mark Cavendish, victor of three stages in this year’s Tour already.
“I managed to give it everything to the top of the Aspin and I knew the race had really finished before I got to there”.
“Success breeds success and Cav’s a victor”.
“We’re doing our best to make up for it”.
Italian Vincenzo Nibali, the 2014 Tour champion, launched a counter-attack of three riders but Cummings proved too strong for them and rode away to win his second Tour stage in successive years.
He added: “If I was the coach I would (pick me), but I’m not the selector”.
“Hopefully I can stay with the GC [general classification] guys long enough and if I lose a few seconds here and there hopefully I’ll get a bit of leeway towards the end and I can chip off the front”.
Friday’s win came after Cummings initially got himself into a very high-class 29-man breakaway that included some real heavyweights in race leader Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing), former victor Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), Fabian Cancellara (Trek-Segafredo) and Tony Martin (Etixx-QuickStep).
After a rider was knocked off his bike by a crumpled inflatable arch this morning, riders may now have to deal with a group of llamas.
The seventh stage of the Tour de France has ended in farcical fashion with an inflatable arch deflating onto the riders.
So, while Alaphilippe was presented with the white jersey on the podium after the stage, it will be Yates who rides from Pau to Bagneres-de-Luchon in the jersey.
The Tour remains in the Pyrenees for the next two days.
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“I didn’t need to win a stage this year”.
