Cycling - Tour de France - The 200-km Stage 8 from Macon to Saint-Etienne - July 13, 2019 - Lotto Soudal rider Thomas De Gendt of Belgium wins the stage ahead of Groupama-FDJ rider Thibaut Pinot of France and Deceuninck-Quick Step rider Julian Alaphilippe of France. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
ST ETIENNE, France (Reuters) - The prospect of a home-grown rider winning the Tour de France for the first time in more than three decades started to take shape on Saturday when Thibaut Pinot ended the first block as the best of the overall contenders.
The 29-year-old, third in 2014, has matured into a world-class rider since winning the Giro Di Lombardia, one of five 'Monument' classics, last October and his aggressive yet relaxed approach to the Tour is paying off.
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