Pinot and Bardet left empty-handed at Mende

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Cummings is about to catch Pinot and Bardet.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

Stranger things have happened when the French president has visited the Tour de France in years past, though the thought will be of little consolation to Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) and Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale) after they contrived to allow victory slip through their fingers in Mende on stage 14.

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Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.