Merely noting that this is the fourth consecutive summit finish hides the real difficulty of the stage – the risk of blocked legs after the rest day and the mild profile for the first 159km before the route rears up like one of Spain's famous horses. Peña Cabarga is steep and, at 9km, plenty long enough to do real damage should any rider falter.
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Tour de France Femmes stage 8 GC analysis – Col de la Madeleine queen stage reveals the queen of the Tour
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's stunning solo sees her secure in yellow ahead of final day, though the battle for second and third should rage on -
'The yellow jersey is out of reach' – Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney says 'best effort of my life' on Col de la Madeleine not enough to win second Tour de France Femmes
'We hope to get a podium spot at the end' Canyon-Sram Zondacrypto rider aims to surpass Demi Vollering or Sarah Gigante in the hunt for a podium spot in Chatel -
'We went for a statement' – Niamh Fisher-Black flies off the front at Tour de France Femmes to take third on Col de la Madeleine
Lidl-Trek rider finishes third on queen stage after launching from the break, moving up to eighth overall -
Teamwork, a yellow-clad sacrifice and mean messages – Sarah Gigante's rocket-fuelled path from recovery to the Tour de France Femmes podium
'I was definitely dreaming of winning this stage … but I'm happy with second' says Australian after Col de la Madeleine runner-up spot also shifted her to second on GC
