Tour de France Stage 8 Live: The race heads southeast from Brittany for a sprint in Laval

Soudal Quick-Step and Alpecin-Deceuninck have now brought their leadout trains to the front of the peloton, as they pass through a small town with several pinch points that could be cause for concern.

Given the fairly strong headwinds and lack of breakaway for the majority of the day, an average speed of 44km/h is rather impressive for for today's stage.

Tour de France Stage 8 - 30km to go

It has been a valiant effort from Vercher and Burgaudeau, but the fate of the breakaway now seems sealed as their gap sits at thirty seconds with 30km to go. Teams are now beginning to up the pace in the peloton to position their key riders for the finish.

Ineos Grenadiers, Cofidis, Jayco AlUla, Visma-Lease a Bike and Tudor Pro Cycling are the main teams represented at the front of the peloton at the moment.

Some light crosswinds are causing splits at the back of the peloton, with small groups of riders are being distanced off the back of the main bunch.

The breakaway are now well within sight of the peloton, which is spread across the road as teams begin to jostle for position.

The sprinters' teams have all come to the front of the peloton to position their riders and keep them safe ahead of the finale.

The gap to the breakaway is now coming down as we near the final thirty kilometres of the stage. The TotalEnergies duo of Vercher and Burgaudeau are persisting at the head of the race, but the pace in the peloton is starting to increase.

Puncture for Arnaud De Lie, who is now back underway after a wheel change. The uphill finish on today's stage could suit the Lotto rider if he can manage to find his best legs.

Didi the Devil spotted at the roadside! Like the Where's Wally of the Tour de France, the German fan has been at each edition of the race since 1993.

Crash for Marc Soler in the peloton. The UAE Team Emirates rider went down after a ninety-degree corner through a town, but is now back up and underway after a bike change, so he should be able to make his way back into the main bunch.

Mattéo Vercher and Mathieu Burgaudeau have both finished runner-up on stages of the Tour de France in the past. As things stand, it doesn't look like it will be their day, but it does show the strength of the pair up the road.

After crashing hard on yesterday's stage, João Almeida started today with a broken rib and bandages all over his body. The Portuguese rider is still battling on despite the extent of his injuries, as he looks to help Tadej Pogačar in the stages to come.

"He's a fighter. He slept well, came down for breakfast with a smile on his face. Nothing too serious," UAE Team Emirates-XRG team principal Mauro Gianetti told Cyclingnews at the start today.

The leading duo from TotalEnergies are working well together to extend their advantage over the peloton, but the teams at the front of the main bunch are keeping the gap under control.

Tour de France Stage 8 - 70km to go

The two-man breakaway of Vercher and Burgaudeau currently have a thirty-second gap over the peloton, who have been rolling along at a solid pace throughout the day, with an average speed of approximately 43km/h.

TotalEnegies sports director on team radio:

"Listen, if they want to jump on everything that moves, that's their problem. We have the right to race."

Clearly some frustration from the French outfit about the sprinters' teams marking every move in the peloton.

An attack from Mattéo Vercher and Mathieu Burgaudeau has seen them open up a small gap over the peloton. The TotalEnergies duo have been allowed to go up the road for now, but Lidl-Trek and Intermarché-Wanty are continuing to set the pace in the main bunch.

Jonathan Milan takes maximum points at the intermediate sprint ahead of Tim Merlier, Anthony Turgis and Biniam Girmay. The Italian rider reduces his deficit to Tadej Pogačar in the points classification to fourteen points, which means that we could see the maillot vert change hands after the sprint finish in Laval.

The sprinters' teams are now getting organised in the peloton ahead of the intermediate sprint in Vitré.

Tour de France Stage 8 - 90km to go

A breakaway seems unlikely to go at this point in the stage, as none of the teams seem interested in sending riders up the road. Quinn Simmons and Jonas Rutsch have been the unsung heroes in setting the pace in the peloton, with Intermarché-Wanty making their presence felt at the front of the main bunch.

Plenty of riders heading back into the convoy at the moment, as teams look to keep them hydrated on a hot day in the northwest of France. Temperatures are currently around 31°C (88°F), so staying well-fuelled will be paramount on today's stage.

Another trip back to the team car for Bryan Coquard, who has swapped back to his original bike after previously having changed machinery.

The riders are coming up to the intermediate sprint in Vitré, which annually hosts La Route Adélie de Vitré one-day race. The last time a stage of the Tour de France finished there was in 2006, with Robbie McEwen sprinting to victory in the maillot vert.

A mechanical for Bryan Coquard, who will be looking to score a solid result on today's stage. A quick bike change means that he will be able to work his way back through the convoy to get back to the front of the peloton for the intermediate sprint.

The fans have been out in force on today's stage, with plenty of homemade signs sending messages of support along the route.

Image 1 of 6

Quinn Simmons has been showing off the stars and stripes on the front of the peloton today, as the US National Champion has been working with Intermarché-Wanty to set the pace in the main bunch.

Tour de France Stage 8 - 130km to go

With none of the teams interested in sending riders up the road, the peloton has stayed all together for the first hour of the race. Lidl-Trek and Intermarché-Wanty have been setting the pace so far, with an average speed of around 42km/h for the main bunch.

What can we expect from Mathieu van der Poel for the remainder of this year's Tour de France? He lost a minute and half and ceded the maillot jaune to Tadej Pogačar yesterday, after being unable to replicate his performance that saw him emerge victorious on the Mûr-de-Bretagne in 2021.

Could we see the Dutchman now switch his attention to the points classification in a bid to win the maillot vert? He currently sits in fourth place on 108 points, with a 48-point deficit on Pogačar, who tops the standings on 156 points.

Today's stage started in Saint-Méen-le-Grand, which last hosted a stage of the Tour de France in 2006. It was also the birthplace of three-time Tour de France winner Louison Bobet, who won consecutive editions in 1953, 1954 and 1955. The Breton rider also won the maillot à pois in 1950, as well as 11 individual stages from 1948 to 1955.

All smiles for Visma-Lease a Bike at the start today. Could we see Wout van Aert feature in the sprint later on?

It has been a quiet start to today's stage, as we're still waiting to see the first attacks of the day. Quinn Simmons is currently setting the pace on the front of the main bunch, with a collective of Intermarché-Wanty riders sitting just behind him.

Some photos of the sprinters at the start of today's stage. Who will come out on top in Laval?

Image 1 of 7

Some unfortunate news at the start today, as Jayco AlUla have confirmed that Eddie Dunbar has abandoned the Tour de France after his crash yesterday. The Irishman made it to the sign-on podium with a bandaged arm, but has decided not to start the stage.

The official start has been given for today's stage, but none of the riders are jumping out of the peloton to form a breakaway just yet. It's fairly relaxed in the peloton for now, but it's only a matter of time before someone tries to make a move.

A quick look at yesterday's results before the official start of stage 8. An exciting finish on the Mûr-de-Bretagne saw Tadej Pogačar take the victory and extend his overall lead.

No changes expected in the general classification today though, as it is set to be a stage for the sprinters.

The riders have now rolled out in Saint-Méen-le-Grand for the neutralised start of stage 8 of the Tour de France. There's around 6km of neutral zone before the flag drops for the official start, where we expect to see a battle to make the early breakaway.

Five minutes until the neutralised start in Saint-Méen-le-Grand.

Ineos Grenadiers have been fairly anonymous in this first week of racing at the Tour de France. Are they saving themselves for some of the tougher stages later in the race? Or do they simply not have the firepower to match the likes of UAE and Visma?

Happy Birthday to Valentin Madouas! The Frenchman turns 29 years old today and is starting the stage in his home region of Brittany.

'Perhaps we're off to a legal battle or perhaps it's a storm in a teacup' – Patrick Lefevere weighs in on Remco Evenepoel transfer saga

Could Evenepoel be on the move from Soudal Quick-Step for 2026? The current maillot blanc's contract situation has certainly attracted lots of attention, with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and Ineos Grenadiers the supposed frontrunners to sign the Belgian rider for next season.

Aside from Tadej Pogačar, the only other rider to win a Tour de France stage in Laval was current Soudal Quick-Step sports director Tom Steels in 1999.

The riders head into the Pays de la Loire region today with a stage finish in Laval, which regularly features in the Boucles de la Mayenne stage race. The last time it featured at the Tour de France was on stage 5 in 2021, with Tadej Pogačar winning an individual time trial which finished in the city.

There's just under an hour to go until the riders get underway for stage 8 of the Tour de France 2025. The neutralised start is set to take place at 13:10 local time in Saint-Méen-le-Grand, around 15 minutes before the flag drops for the official start.

Tour de France stage 7: Tadej Pogačar tops Jonas Vingegaard to win on Mûr-de-Bretagne

World champion back in maillot jaune as Mathieu van der Poel can't hold GC contenders' pace

Stage 7 on Friday saw Tadej Pogačar grab his second stage win of the first week, blasting off to beat Jonas Vingegaard on the Mûr-de-Bretagne.

A look at today's stage map.

'I've done it seven times, so he can do it once' – Peter Sagan backs Mathieu van der Poel for Tour de France green jersey battle

Record points classification winner says Jonathan Milan is the other main challenger but 'there's still a long way to go'

Tadej Pogačar leads the green jersey standings so far. He took back the jersey from Jonathan Milan with his win on the Mûr-de-Bretagne which, bizarrely, offered up 50 points at the finish – the same as a pan-flat sprint stage.

Pogačar has 156 points to his name while Milan lies second on 122. Biniam Girmay is on 111, while Mathieu van der Poel is next on 108.

With an intermediate sprint mid-stage, we expect the break to take the big points there, though it likely won't be a large move so there should be a mid-stage sprint showdown.

At the finish there's a maximum of 50 points up for grabs, so it's all set for a mass bunch gallop.

Here's a look at today's stage profile. Mostly flat, as you can see...

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of stage 8 of the 2025 Tour de France!