Nine years after taking a stage win in Gap, Pierrick Fedrigo (Bretagne) tried to repeat the feat in today's stage 16 of the Tour de France. In the end, he had to settle for 11th.

"Of course I had this stage in mind," he said. "It was one of the opportunities I could seize in this Tour. It was not just nostalgia because of my first stage victory in 2006 in Gap. But we rode like crazy at the start (53.600km in the first hour, 44.600km/h average). Inevitably, it wears you out. And I did not have my best legs. I knew I would suffer to stay with the best on the Col de Manse. I'm very tired tonight. The Tour de France simply wears you out."

His teammate Pierre-Luc Perichon also hit the right break for the umpteenth time in the race and came away with 21st place.

"There is a big fight with De Gendt and Sagan for the combativity award," he said. "No, I am just joking. I had a chance at km 0 where I started the break. But our first group of 24 broke in two and Pierrick was in front. It was our goal of the day so I did not have to work. We came back much later. I did the best my legs allowed me to do.

"We are present and that is what I will remember, the fighting spirit of my team," manager Emanuel Hubert said. "There were only five teams that had two riders in front today and we were among the five. Pierrick just did not have the legs he needed to fight for the stage win. But I am convinced that the best Pierrick Fedrigo still has his place in such a finale. In the Tour, you just need to be the best on the day when such opportunities arise. Everything is decided in the end. It was not the case for him. Our Tour is not over yet. "