Historic Win For MTN-Qhubeka

July 18, 2015 – Stephen Cummings celebrated Nelson Mandela Day in style for his South African team MTN-Qhubeka by taking a historic first Tour de France stage victory on Saturday.

AFP/Yuzuru Sunada

Qhubeka became the first ever African team to take part in the Tour this year and Briton Cummings gave them a historic victory on the 178.5km 14th stage from Rodez to Mende — and that on the international day to honor Mandela.

And on a day in which Britain’s Davis Cup tennis team took a 2-1 lead over France, Briton Cummings stole a march on a pair of Frenchmen to win the stage as compatriot Chris Froome retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey.

The stage victory looked to have come down to a battle between Frenchmen as Romain Bardet attacked on the brutal final climb — 3km long at an average 10.1 percent gradient — ahead of the finish.

Thibaut Pinot emerged from the remainder of a 20-man breakaway group to chase down his countryman but once he caught Bardet, the two started playing cat-and-mouse in the final kilometers.

Cummings arrived like a freight train and blasted straight past the Frenchmen before taking off for the line.

The Frenchman hesitated a second too long before deciding to chase and Cummings won by 2sec from Pinot, with Bardet another second further back.

Five minutes further down the climb, the peloton and overall favorites arrived, where hostilities were launched by Nairo Quintana.

Twice he accelerated clear with first reigning champion Vincenzo Nibali chasing him down.

However, the second time only Froome could match the Colombian’s pace and he made a final surge to  snatch a second off Quintana in the sprint to the line.

The Colombian did at least move up to second overall at 3min 10sec as Tejay Van Garderen had been dropped further down the climb and lost 40sec to sit third at 3min 32sec.

Spaniards Alberto Contador and Alejandro Valverde, as well as Nibali, all lost time to the lead pair as well.

Valverde is fourth at 4min 02sec with Contador up a place to fifth at 4min 23sec and Nibali also up a place to eighth at 8min 17sec.

Stage Results:
1. Stephen Cummings (GBR/MTN) 4hr 23min 43sec
2. Thibaut Pinot (FRA/FDJ) at 0:02sec
3. Romain Bardet (FRA/ALM) 0:03.
4. Rigoberto Uran (COL/ETI) 0:20.
5. Peter Sagan (SVK/TIN) 0:29.
6. Cyril Gautier (FRA/EUC) 0:32.
7. Rubén Plaza (ESP/LAM) 0:32.
8. Bob Jungels (LUX/TRE) 0:32.
9. Jonathan Castroviejo (ESP/MOV) 0:32.
10. Simon Yates (GBR/ORI) 0:33.
11. Jan Bakelants (BEL/ALM) 1min 07sec
12. Jarlinson Pantano (COL/IAM) 1:10.
13. Pierre-Luc Perichon (FRA/BSE) 2:00.
14. Kristjan Koren (SLO/CAN) 2:12.
15. Koen de Kort (NED/GIA) 2:12.
16. Greg Van Avermaet (BEL/BMC) 2:12.
17. Andriy Grivko (UKR/AST) 2:43.
18. Michal Golas (POL/ETI) 3:25.
19. Jeremy Roy (FRA/FDJ) 3:25.
20. Chris Froome (GBR/SKY) 4:15.

Overall Results:
1. Chris Froome (GBR/SKY) 56h02min 19sec
2. Nairo Quintana (COL/MOV) at 3:10.
3. Tejay Van Garderen (USA/BMC) 3:32.
4. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/MOV) 4:02.
5. Alberto Contador (ESP/TIN) 4:23.
6. Geraint Thomas (GBR/SKY) 4:54.
7. Robert Gesink (NED/LNL) 6:23.
8. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA/AST) 8:17.
9. Tony Gallopin (FRA/LOT) 8:23.
10. Bauke Mollema (NED/TRE) 8:53.
11. Warren Barguil (FRA/GIA) 11:03.
12. Romain Bardet (FRA/ALM) 13:10.
13. Mathias Frank (SUI/IAM) 13:26.
14. Samuel Sanchez (ESP/BMC) 14:21.
15. Pierre Rolland (FRA/EUC) 14:58.
16. Andrew Talansky (USA/CAN) 22:18.
17. Thibaut Pinot (FRA/FDJ) 30:57.
18. Jakob Diemer Fuglsang (DEN/AST) 31:05.
19. Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP/KAT) 31:45.
20. Alexis Vuillermoz (FRA/ALM) 33:18.