Steve Cummings has won the 14th stage of the Tour de France for MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung. In a thrilling finale, he rode away from his breakaway counterparts.

In another transitional stage of the Tour de France, Steve Cummings found himself in the main break of the day at the Tour de France for MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung. He was joined by 19 other eager contenders as they built up an 8 minute lead over the peloton. It was looking good for the breakaway riders as the large lead group had no real adversaries in the peloton willing to chase them down.

It would be a special day for Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung as the African team would honour Mandela Day during today's Tour de France stage. The plan was always to animate the stage for the African team on a day where they hoped to bring light to the Mandela Day cause. Nobody could have dreamed of the fairy-tale finish that was, Steve Cummings crossing the line solo to win the stage after the stage long break.

In a late solo escape, he was able to distance Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) and Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) by a very slight margin but still enough to claim a historical stage victory for MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung. The two Frenchman that took the minor podium placings would hesitate in chasing down the British star when he attacked at the summit of the final climb of the day. This hesitation was all that was needed for him to cross the line first, arms aloft and history written.

Steve Cummings crossed the line, displaying the team's 5 finger salute, symbolising MTN-Qhubeka’s BicyclesChangeLives campaign which aims to put 5000 African children on bicycles. A truly proud moment for the African team.

"I knew the last climb because I did it in 2010 at Paris-Nice. I knew I wasn't the best climber so I paid attention to not blow in the hill. I knew there were better climbers in our lead group. Possibly my adversaries have underestimated me," Cummings said.

"I was a bit surprised. It didn't seem that AG2R had a clear strategy. I thought Bakelants would ride hard at the beginning but this is the Tour de France and everyone wants to try his luck. On the other hand, FDJ clearly showed they were riding for Pinot. I didn't have to contribute much. I just gambled.

“I wasn't the strongest today and  I had to play the waiting game today as FDJ were looking to set up Pinot for the win. I waited and waited and eventually the last climb arrived which I rode at my own pace. 

"Pinot and Bardet were just ahead and I used them as the carrot dangling in front of me for motivation. Everyone went bananas at the start of the climb but the key was to remain calm and take my opportunity when it arrived.

"Two kilometers before the top, I went full gas and I could see Pinot. I made contact with the two Frenchman at the top of the climb and knew they might hesitate to chase me if I got the jump on them on the flat part before the finish. I threw caution to wind and just went for it. It paid off and I won the stage.

"On the flat and downhill after the climb, I knew I had more kg and a better aerodynamic than the two others. They didn't cooperate so I caught them. I knew Pinot would be cautious in cornering so I used my experience as a track rider to finish the job. I'm just really happy.

"This is an incredible day for me and the team, with it being Mandela Day the team was motivated more than usual but I don't think we can quite believe what has just happened. It may take a while to sink in.

"It's a relief to cross the line as a winner. I did what I was supposed to do. We entered this stage with a huge motivation. It's fantastic for the team to win at the Tour de France and it's even better on Mandela Day. We had a special meeting about that this morning and we wore a special helmet but I didn't think we could win. That was a long shot.

"For now, I don't realize that I've won a stage at the Tour de France. The Tour de France is a dream. The first time I took part in it, it was dream, then I won a stage at the Vuelta and I thought why not at the Tour de France.

"But I needed to be in a team with a free role and this team really believed I could deliver. We spoke in September last year. I was also speaking with other teams but I chose MTN because Qhubeka is a unique cause in cycling, I like that. I also like their strategy to go for stage wins.

"I'm not always free. Sometimes I have to help Edvald Boasson Hagen or Louis Meintjes but I knew I would have a chance to race for myself here. Luckily I've played well.

"I think it was a good moment, you always wait for the right moment. As a kid I always dreamt of winning a stage like this from a big breakaway. All my career that’s what I wanted to do. I studied breakaways, I just love watching them and how they unfold, it’s my favourite part of a Grand Tour."

“I’m super happy that Steve’s a part of the team," team principal Douglas Ryde said. "It was a stage that he targeted and being Mandela Day it was also special for our team. To win a stage was our big goal and to pull it off after we tried so hard and got so many top 10s is incredible. I couldn’t be happier.

“It just shows his experience. He knew how to time his effort, he knew exactly when to go. I thought the climb was too steep at the end, but when they were attacking he was just biding his time. What a consummate professional to win like that.”