This article was originally published on Cyclingnews
Steven Cummings (MTN-Qhubeka) made history on stage 14 of the Tour de France picking up his team’s first ever stage in the Tour de France on Mandela Day.
The British rider was part of an early break which survived the clutches of the peloton all the way to the finish in Mende.
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Cummings suffered on the early slopes of the final climb of the Côte de la Croix Neuve as Romain Bardet (AG2R-La Mondiale) and Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) moved clear of the main escape but he fought back and by the summit had almost made contact. Hesitation from the French pair gifted Cummings the opportunity he needed and as the road levelled and then descended to the line, he forged clear.
The gap he created was no more than a few meters but it was enough, despite a frantic chase from the French pair, to seal the win with Pinot second and Bardet third.
"I wasn't the strongest, I knew there were better climbers. I knew it would be really difficult to win," Cummings said. "I was always waiting in the last 10km for an opportunity, but it was clear that FDJ were going to try and control it for Pinot, so I took advantage of that and waited and waited.
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