Tour de France 2026 stage 8 LIVE – Three riders up the road as the sprinters’ teams control the race for expected bunch finish

2026-07-11T13:33:39.794Z

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The gap’s come down some more, to 1:30. There are still 100km to ride, and so the peloton will not want to bring them back too early.

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2026-07-11T13:15:39.421Z

Despite having such a strong lead out in the finale yesterday, Alpecin-Premier Tech were unable to take the victory, with Philipsen fading in the finale to place fifth.

Whether or not that was down to Van der Poel swinging off too early, or a lack of legs on behalf of Philipsen, was unclear. But the way they’re riding on the front again today suggests they’re still committed to his mission of adding to his ten career Tour stage victories.

The break’s been caught back a little more, to 1:40. It seems the lead of over two minutes they had earlier is as much as they’re likely to be allowed all day.

Guernalec, Otruba and Slock will have to ride smartly, holding enough back in this phase to have enough left in the tank to try to hold off the chase for as long as possible once it begins in earnest.

2026-07-11T13:04:41.103Z

It’s still Soudal-QuickStep who are doing a big share of the work at the front of the peloton. They executed the plan for the stage win perfectly yesterday, with Jasper Stuyven delivering Tim Merlier to victory in the sprint.

In this post-Remco era, the team have returned to their past selves as sprint specialists, and having already delivered Paul Magnier to three stages at at the Giro, they’re seeking to reclaim their status as the patrons of the Grand Tour sprints.

2026-07-11T12:58:16.074Z

Mads Pedersen sharing a word in the peloton. He still holds the green jersey by a big margin, and for anyone who wants to take it from him, pan flat stages like today are the chance to make gains. His lead in the classification has been built on breakaways and intermediate sprints, and in the pure bunch finishes like today’s he’s a little off the pace of the very fastest like Merlier, Kooij and Philipsen, finishing down in seventh and ninth in the two so far.

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2026-07-11T12:51:55.302Z

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2026-07-11T12:47:22.442Z

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The gap has been allowed to grow to the biggest it has been all day, to 2:10. With three riders it does have more firepower than yesterday, and so they might prompt the peloton to have to have to dig a little deeper to ensure they’re brought back.

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2026-07-11T12:35:35.239Z

Soudal-QuickStep and Alpecin-Premier Tech continue to control the peloton, but there is no sign of Biniam Girmay’s NSN joining them. Their DS is happy with that situation, informing the team’s race radio that the ideal situation for them is for those teams to do all the work, and keep the break on a leash.

“So it’s good if they keep them, keep them close like this, guys. Then we don’t have to do anything for a long time. We can just look after ourselves in the bunch.”

NSN DS

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2026-07-11T12:25:26.533Z

Here’s Remco Evenepoel in the peloton. It might be a quiet day for him in the saddle, but behind the scenes the story of the tension between himself and teammate Florian Lipowitz won’t go away.

Efforts from the Red Bull team to play down the story and demonstrate the pair are getting along have been far from convincing, and we’ll be keeping an eagle eye on how the two ride together for the remainder of this race.

1:37 is the lead for the three breakaway riders – it appears they’re on a doomed errand once again.

The inevitably of the break being caught hasn’t stopped Baptiste Veistroffer from persisting in previous stages, and he’s developing a bit of a cult status as a result. He’s not in the break today, but his Lotto teammate Liam Slock is, confirming that team as the race’s chief animators so far.

As was the case yesterday, Soudal-QuickStep are working with Alpecin-Premier Tech at the front of the peloton to control the break. They’re riding a steady tempo, but keeping the break at a very stingy 1:15. Just like yesterday, they aren’t giving the break a sniff.

“OK guys. We won a stage yesterday. Use this victory to be a bit more relaxed. But we put the same effort in. Grinta, same team sprint and we go again today!”

Soudal-QuickStep DS

2026-07-11T11:53:49.661Z

The scene from the start in Périgueux, a picturesque spot on the banks of the river Isle. There might not be much action in terms of GC today, but there’s plenty of beautiful scenery for the local tourist boards to show off.

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The lead of Slock, Guernalec and Otruba has grown to 1:50, and been pegged there as the sprinters’ team take control of the peloton and start riding tempo. That’s the holding pattern of the day established.

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2026-07-11T11:39:31.626Z

The peloton has now bunched up and slowed down, with Liam Slock having got up the road, and been joined by Thibault Guernalec and Jakub Otruba set to join him. Those three riders will be the break of the day.

2026-07-11T11:35:12.674Z

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.”

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.

2026-07-11T11:27:05.863Z

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

2026-07-11T11:23:06.377Z

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.

2026-07-11T11:17:14.793Z

The riders have heard the countdown for the unofficial start, and are riding though the streets of Périgueux.

2026-07-11T11:05:34.604Z

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.

2026-07-11T10:53:22.207Z

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?

2026-07-11T10:40:32.540Z

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.

2026-07-11T10:20:52.490Z

Today’s stage will be underway in just over an hour.

Here’s a reminder of how the sprinters fared yesterday:

2026-07-11T10:08:01.733Z

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…

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.

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…