Pierrick Fedrigo (Bretagne) spent most of stage 10 in a breakaway with Kenneth Vanbilsen and managed to drop his companion on the final climb. Nonetheless, the Belgian was awarded the prize as the most aggressive rider.

"I did not expect to get thefighting prize," he said. "It was not my goal and I attacked to win the stage, not to get the red dossard. But I have trouble understanding why I didn't get it. This morning, at the start, the journalists prompted the French riders to attack. It is a jury of journalists that awarded the prize and they gave it to Vanbilsen. I waited for him and he spent less time than me in front. I have nothing against Vanbilsen nor against the Belgians. It's just a lack of respect for me and for the public here and in front of the television on this special day."

"On July 14, a Frenchman attacked after  7 kilometers and remained in the lead up to 20 kilometers from the finish," manager Emanuel Hubert said. "Nonetheless, it is the rider for whom he waited and whom he dropped at the bottom of the Soudet that the gets the combaitivuty prize. I don't understand it.

"And I don't understand the attitude of FDJ who chased behind out break. I congratulate them for having joined forces with Movistar to bring Pierrick and Vanbilsen back even though their leader was dropped right from the bottom. Great! Pierrick has spent four years with them. I know that's the race but..."

The highlight for Bretagne was team captain Eduardo Sepulveda who finished the stage in 19th.

"This is my first grand tour," he said. "That was my first contact with the mountains in this context and I realized that I was no longer in a .1 race. I hung onto the best up to 6 kilometers from the finish where I exploded. I finished as best I could but the time loss i big. I won nine spots overall and that is good, but there are still guys behind me that will pass me too. We will have a better idea of my chances in two days when we leave Pyrenees. I'm still happy.

"Pierrick Fedrigo was not rewarded for his efforts, but we have seen that he is in great condition on the first day in his terrain," Hubert said." This gives us lots of. hopes for the days when the GC riders will allow us to play a little in front. Eduardo in the Top 20  in La Pierre-Saint-Martin, that's what we expected and he responded well. He started in the red zone as he wanted to follow the rhythm of the best as far as possible and he paid for that at the top where it was less steep. But the level is high and he will learn. Let us not forget that it was his first race in the mountains in the Tour."

"As usual, the peloton controlled the breakaway," sports director Roger Trehin said. "I asked Pierrick to wait for Vanbilsen and I hoped when the gap went up to nearly 15 minutes. But it started to come down too quickly. And when we heard that FDJ gave a hand to Movistar, we realized that it was over."