Tom Pidcock and Ineos Grenadiers, along with teammate Michal Kwiatkowski, are overjoyed that the British team took a stage win in the Tour de France on Bastille Day for the second consecutive year.

"I think Bastille Day should be renamed Ineos Day," Pidcock joked on Eurosport.

"Last year I won the Alpe d'Huez, so that means two iconic climbs and two stage wins.

Pidcock was fifth, 13 seconds behind Tadej Pogachar and 30 seconds behind teammate Carlos Rodriguez. Rodriguez remains in fourth place overall, 4:48 behind Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo Visma), while Pidcock remains in eighth place overall, 5:35 back.

"At one point, we were talking about Kwiat dropping back to take position on the final climb because the UAE didn't give him time to break. Then he won the stage," Pidcock noted.

"I've been preparing with him all week in Tenerife and Switzerland for this race. I know how hard he has worked and I am very happy to see him win."

Regarding his own performance in the 17.5km Grand Colombier, Pidcock insisted that his GC ambition had not waned and that he was going from strength to strength.

"I think it's actually easier now that I can ride in the lead group. Because I can go faster, the steep parts don't feel as bad as they did when I went slower," he told Eurosport.

"He [Pogachar] rode the last part like it was a group sprint. I was putting out 700 watts or something.

From a team management perspective, Kwiatkowski's stage win was a standout day as Rodriguez and Pidcock's performances kept GC hopes alive in the race to the Alps.

"It was like the Puy de Dome, we didn't know if we were going to get a breakaway, but if we did, we didn't want to miss it," Tour de France lead sport director Steve Cummings told reporters on the team bus.

"We knew the UAE would try to control things, and they did. But Kouyat was too strong for them.

Cumming said he was not surprised by Kwiatkowski's performance, adding, "He is a world-class bike rider and has worked very hard. This season in particular may not have gone so well for him.

"He's an intelligent guy and he raced incredibly well in this Tour. He is an intelligent guy and he raced incredibly well in this Tour. He really deserves it."

On this stage, Kwiatkowski was dropped by the lead group at one point, but then rejoined the pack and dropped them. Cummings explained that this was a case of the Pole taking things at his own pace.

"It was about running smart, 48 minutes, probably 50 minutes of climbing for him, finishing at the top, not 20 minutes later. So it had to boil down to around the red zone or just below it."

On the challenge of the GC and whether they will be more aggressive now that they have the stage win, Cummings said, "I think if we are too conservative, eventually we will catch up and have to pull back. We don't have much of a choice, so we have to race smart and be represented in the big group."

It was a great day for the team, but the downside was that Ben Turner had to pull out due to a stomach bug. He had to stop, which was unfortunate, but that's cycling."

He laughed and admitted that Kwiatkowski had not been designated as the rider to go into the break that day--"in fact, his name was not on the board"--but with a flat start like this stage, the former world champion could contend with a big climb at the end He said he was one of a group of all-rounders who could contend on the final big climb.

"At the start, with a crosswind blowing for about 2 km, he had studied the map, knew what to do, and was in the right place to do it. He doesn't have to say it."

"He got to the finish relatively easily. But I knew Blake wasn't going to finish. I'm really happy."

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