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Smiling in the Rain
The men of the Tour faced heavy rain, lightening, thunder and three steep climbs in rapid succession as they road to claim glory in one of the three Grand Tours. Blel Kadri (AG2R) went in the early breakaway and then attacked his compatriots at the foot of the Col de la Croix des Moinats. He was not the first to launch an attack from the break away, but he was the first to get to the top of that Col. That could have been enough for the Frenchman, it did put him into the Polka Dot Jersey of the King of the Mountains. But he kept going, collecting the maximum points on the following climb up the Col de Grosse Pierres, hitting the base of the final climb to the mountain top finish all on his own. At the top, Kadri had the honor of being the first Frenchman to raise his arms in victory at the end of a stage in the 101st Tour de France. Chapeau!