Steve Cummings (Dimension Data) insisted he had no regrets after missing out on a prestigious Tour de France stage victory at Peyragudes on Thursday.
The British national champion proudly showed off his red, white and blue colours on the 50th anniversary of Tommy Simpson's death on Mont Ventoux, giving his all in a solo attack on the Port de Bales after being part of the 12-rider break of the day. However, he was eventually closed down by Team Sky close to the summit of the Col de Peyresourde as they tried but ultimately failed to steamroll their overall rivals and protect Chris Froome's yellow jersey, which Fabio Aru (Astana) took at the finish.
Cummings is arguably the best breakaway specialist in the peloton when it comes to tough Tour stages. He has the ability, determination and intelligence to ride them perfectly, even when he feels he bites off more than he can chew, like stage 12. He had put a star next to the stage in his race manual and so stepped up and went on the attack.
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"At the start I actually thought today was too hard for me to be honest, and it proved it was," Cummings said, explaining the dilemma and fear he feels of missing out on best chance at a stage win.
"In the Tour you can't be so selective. You might say, 'This is the day, this is the day', and you might miss the break. Today I got in the break and once you're there you commit to it. I think there was a chance to win at Port de Balès. It was a chance, so you go full for it until the moment you can't do it.
"It's not black and white, there's grey. There are some stages you can say, 'No I can't do that', but there are ones like today where it's a bit grey – maybe if I have a good day and the right combination you can do it. It was worth a try.
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