Healy is denied on Ventoux as France get their stage win

BEN Healy was denied victory on Mont Ventoux by a bike length as Valentin Paret-Peintre delivered a first home stage win of this year's Tour de France.

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Tadej Pogacar dealt with every attack attempted by rival Jonas Vingegaard and even put a couple of seconds into him at the finish to move four minutes 15 clear in yellow, but stage 16 went to the breakaway at the summit of this most feared of Tour climbs.

Healy, who spent two days in yellow last week, was looking to add to his stage six win as he put in another outstanding attacking ride, but Paret-Peintre would not be denied as he came around the Irishman at the summit of the Giant of Provence.

Healy had done the bulk of the work to reel in an attack from Enric Mas and was then the first to launch his move out of a group of four inside the last few hundred metres.