Dejected after the cobbles stage which saw him lose 3:23 because of a mechanical problem, Thibaut Pinot invoked bad luck and the 2013 Tour which was also an ill-fated one for him.

”I had a mechanical and then it went full gas. When incidents pile up… It was the same in 2013 and it looks like it's going to be the same again. It's a shame,” said the third in the 2014 Tour.

"I was on the big chainring and on the 11 behind and then I could not change gears. So I changed my bike. I was not on a great day. I was a bloc.

”I could have received assistance but who from ? Mathieu (Ladagnous), who is much taller than me ? It's sure that when you have car number 13, you must expect to wait for your car a long time,” he added.

”Now I will try to recover with time. I'm going to finish the Tour and try to prove that my talent is still there,” he said. "We will look at it with the team tonight and we will try to set new goals. The Tour is not over, there are two and a half weeks left."