Bruno Armirail became the first Frenchman since Laurent Jalabert in 1999 to put on the pink jersey of leader of the Tour of Italy on Saturday at the end of the 14th stage where the Groupama-FDJ rider was part of the breakaway. The French time trial champion, who finished in a small group 50 seconds behind the winner of the day, the German Nico Denz, takes the lead in the general classification with a little less than two minutes ahead of the Briton Geraint Thomas, who arrived far behind the pack of favorites. “That wasn’t really the plan, the goal was to take the breakaway and go for the stage win. I can’t realize that I’m taking the pink jersey, I can’t believe it, ”he commented, thumbs and fists raised on the podium. If a final victory is difficult to envisage for the Haut-Pyrénéen in this Giro, especially in view of the very mountainous third week which awaits the peloton, it is a great reward for those who achieve a very successful Tour. No Frenchman had worn the pink tunic since 1999 when Laurent Jalabert wore the jersey for eight stages, before handing it over to Italian Marco Pantani. Laurent Fignon remains the last Frenchman to have won the Tour of Italy, in 1989, and the third French rider to win the Giro after Jacques Anquetil (1960, 1964) and Bernard Hinault (1980, 1982, 1985).