Valentin Paret-Peintre bagged a first home win on an enthralling stage 16 of the Tour de France on Tuesday, pipping Ireland's Ben Healy at the Mont Ventoux finish line.
Behind them Jonas Vingegaard attacked overall leader Tadej Pogacar relentlessly but the defending champion tracked the Dane all the way up the 15km ascent to extend his lead by two seconds.
Stage 16 is a 171.5-kilometre ride starting in the southern city of Montpellier and ending atop iconic Mont Ventoux at an altitude of 1,910 metres.
The Soudal-Quick Step rider beat Ireland's Ben Healy in a lung-busting sprint finish on the Giant of Provence as Pogacar retained the overall leader's yellow jersey after keeping chief rival Jonas Vingegaard in his sights on the 21.5km ascent at 7.5%.
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Overall, defending champion Pogacar extended his lead by two seconds to 4:15 after outsprinting the Dane in the final uphill straight.
The German Florian Lipowitz, who could not follow when Vingegaard attacked Pogacar some 9km from the finish, stayed third, 9:03 off the pace, stretching his advantage over fourth-placed Briton Oscar Onley to 2:01
It has been 40 years since a French rider last won the Tour de France, when Bernard Hinault claimed the last of his five titles back in 1985.
With race leader Pogacar poised to retain his title when cycling’s biggest event concludes on Sunday on the Champs-Élysées, that drought appears set to continue.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
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