Tour de France stage 8 LIVE – Merlier, Kooij and Philipsen primed for sprinters' rematch in Bergerac
The sprinters will be happy with a 180km run through the Dordogne from Périgueux to Bergerac with just 1,150 metres of climbing
Kasper Asgreen is among the riders who have tried to get clear, and has been spotted and identified as dressed for a breakaway attempt by NSN, who are hoping to keep this stage controlled for their sprinter Biniam Girmay.
As a rider with a huge engine who has defied likely bunch sprints in the past, he's exactly the kind of rider they won;t want to let up the road, as reflected by how he’s been marked out of the break so far.
“I saw Asgreen, and he has shoe covers, aero helmet. I think he is ready.”
NSN DS
OFFICIAL START
And they're off! Prudhomme waves the flag, and a flurry of attacks come of from the peloton, none of which have stuck yet. This has already been more of a battle than yesterday.
Although it’s another flat stage tailor made for sprinters, the terrain is a little bumpier than yesterday, and could therefore be a little more complicated than yesterday’s. Only two riders went up the road then - according to this Lotto DS, more might have a go today.
"Stay in the front a bit for the start. There might be a little more action than the previous days."
Lotto Intermarché DS
Here’s Paul Seixas before the start earlier. Interestingly, he’s wearing a mask - whether or not that’s precautionary, or if he’s carrying an illness, is unclear. In any case, thankfully for him today should essentially be a day off for the GC riders, on a parcours that is flat and which will be about avoiding incident or mishap rather than a test of legs.
The riders have heard the countdown for the unofficial start, and are riding though the streets of Périgueux.
The sprinters at the Tour could do well to listen to the observations of Caleb Ewan. The Australian was one of the most prolific of his generation at this race, and has been analysing this year’s sprints from his role of commentary box for SBS.
'I always love watching the sprints' - Caleb Ewan analyses the Tour de France sprint in Bordeaux
Søren Wærenskjold at the start of the day, referencing the Norwegian football team’s drum and Viking row routine from the football World Cup, ahead of their match against England tonight.
Wærenskjold was second in the sprint yesterday, and the last time England faced an opponent at the World Cup (Mexico), a rider from that nation won at the Tour - Issac del Toro. Is that a good omen for the Norwegian?
If you're keen on your tech and looking for something to read before the stage starts, Josh Croxton has rounded up all of his finds that didn't make it into our main galleries.
From the handy to the random, there's all sorts in here. Definitely worth a look.
Today's stage will be underway in just over an hour.
Here's a reminder of how the sprinters fared yesterday:
Tour de France: Tim Merlier banishes bunch in Bordeaux for stage 7 sprint victory
Obviously today is a sprint day, but our Deputy Editor Patrick Fletcher has been reflecting on the GC, the decisive day that was stage 6, and if the course designers could have avoided a stage that opened up such big time gaps so early on...
In pitching this Tour de France, "suspense until the end" was a repeated refrain from the race director, Christian Prudhomme, who insisted: "Until the last mountain stage, anything is possible." One week in, we have a gap of nearly three minutes between first and second place, and a yellow jersey that will remain on the shoulders of Tadej Pogačar for the next two weeks unless something utterly extraordinary happens.
Patrick Fletcher
Stage 8 preview
Here's a closer look at what is in store today.
Sprint stages seem to be like buses at this year's Tour de France, as after having to wait until stage 5 for the first opportunity, the fast men are getting three chances in quick succession, with stage 8's flat run to Bergerac coming hot off the heels of a sprint battle in Bordeaux.
No one sprinter has asserted dominance in this Tour yet, with Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) winning the first test in Pau, and then Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) romping to victory on stage 7. He'll be tantalised at the chance to make it two in a row, but it's also possible we see a third different winner from a super open sprint field.
Full preview: Tour de France stage 8 preview – A rematch for the sprinters in Bergerac as Merlier goes for two in a row
Welcome to today's stage!
Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 8 of the Tour de France!
We're expecting another sprint finish today, with the parcours almost totally pan-flat and a very sprint-friendly finale in Bergerac. That means we're getting two sprint days in a row after yesterday's gallop into Bordeaux.
The main question we're asking is less about the sprint though, and more about the breakaway. Let's hope there's a real break, and not just a lone rider as we saw on stage 5...
