Peter Kennaugh was forced out of the Tour de France, abandoning during the stage having fought illness for several days.

The Manxman is the second Brit to abandon after Alex Dowsett, but the Tour – as we reach the second rest day – has still been very successful for the Brits.

Steve Cummings’ stage victory over the weekend, on stage 14, showed what he can do – a perfectly-timed acceleration to foil the two Frenchman ahead of him.

And added to Mark Cavendish and Chris Froome’s respective stage wins, Froome’s GC lead and Geraint Thomas’ strong overall showing there have been plenty of reasons to be cheerful for British fans.

With the Yates brothers having been regulars in the breaks for Orica-GreenEDGE too – with more, potentially, to come in the Alps – it is a far cry from the injuries and disappointments of 12 months ago.

Last year seemed to fly in the face of the ‘rise and rise of British cycle sport’ narrative, but this year has ensured optimism has returned to a huge high again.

It is disappointing for Kennaugh – and a blow for Team Sky – that he has had to abandon, and it remains to be seen, with his contract up, if it is the last Tour he rides for Sky.

But there are still plenty of reasons for British fans to look forward to the final week of racing, even without the sight of the British champion’s jersey on the front of the bunch.