Both men would go on to beat Iban Mayo’s long-held climbing record, set in the 2004 Criterium du Dauphine, by more than a minute.

Valentin Paret-Peintre kept his cool in a furnace of pressure and heat, delivering a thunderous victory atop the legendary Mont Ventoux to give France its first win in this year's Tour de France durin...

But it was arguably more dramatic with rival sprinter Tim Merlier and others involved in a crash under the “flamme rouge” – the triangular red banner over the road signaling the final kilometer.