Updated at\u00a008.27 EDT<\/p>\n
142km to go: 1min 17sec the gap. Still about 70km or so to race (or maybe ride, more accurately) until the first categorised climb of the day, the C\u00f4te de Domme.<\/p>\n
On commentary, Robbie McEwen is talking about Tim Merlier, who won in impressive fashion yesterday.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s almost the antithesis of what we expect a sprinter to be: loud, fast-talking, fiery \u2026 Outside of the sprint, he seems slightly docile. But it seems to help him. He gets it done. Dust the shoulders off, another victory.\u201d<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.22 EDT<\/p>\n 146km to go: The gap is holding at 1min 33sec. Pogacar, all in yellow, dropped back from the bunch for some reason, maybe a mechanical. Nothing dramatic.<\/p>\n Re: Philipsen and that interview: he actually said twice in quick succession that Alpecin-Premier Tech need to take the positives from yesterday. He is fully focused on taking the positives. But a win would be nice \u2026<\/p>\n Tadej Pogacar, wearing the leader’s yellow jersey, and Julian Alaphilippe. Photograph: Thibault Camus\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.17 EDT<\/p>\n 150km to go: The gap is 1min 41sec. Slock, Guernalec and Otruba are working well together out front to keep the chasing peloton honest.<\/p>\n Spectators dressed in Breton “bigouden” attire. Photograph: Lo\u00efc Venance\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.11 EDT<\/p>\n The man himself, Philipsen, also had a chat earlier. Is he close to a win?<\/p>\n \u201cWe really did an amazing job with the team yesterday. I think we really have to look at the positives from yesterday. The thing we were there, as one team, we really did an amazing job as a team \u2026 we were really united, that\u2019s very positive. We will try and deliver again today and hopefully I will have more speed in the legs as well.<\/p>\n \u201cThe final is complicated. The speed will be less high than yesterday. Something to look into, in the final.\u201d<\/p>\n How does he see Tim Merlier, still competing at the highest level?<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, he\u2019s one of the fastest up there, his sprint is very strong. It\u2019s always a hard one to beat, but a nice rivalry, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n The final sprint on Friday. Photograph: Dario Belingheri\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n 156km to go: The gap is 1min 25sec. Soudal-Quick Step are now on the front, in the form of the veteran 34-year-old Jasper Stuyven.<\/p>\n Jasper Stuyven after a crash on stage five. Photograph: David Pintens\/Belga\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.04 EDT<\/p>\n 160km to go: The gap between peloton and break is 1min 20sec.<\/p>\n Christoph Roodhoft, the Alpecin-Premier Tech DS, had a chat with Hannah Walker of TNT Sports earlier.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will try to control. We will see how it goes. The goal of the team is to bring Jasper to a spot where he can launch his sprint,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201c[Yesterday] In the end you could say it was 50m, 75m too early \u2026 the main issue is Jasper didn\u2019t have the legs to win a Tour de France<\/a> stage yesterday. But the team was there, and it\u2019s something to build on.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen he has a good day, the distance [the 250m from the finish that Van der Poel dropped him off] was perfect \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cHe came [arrived at the race] close to his top form \u2013 but not every year is the same \u2013 there is no logical explanation, so far.<\/p>\n Is he still motivated?<\/p>\n \u201cYes of course. Luckily.\u201d<\/p>\n As mentioned by the commentators, a very good interview by Hannah Walker.<\/p>\n Christoph Roodhoft says Jasper Philipsen arrived at the Tour \u2018close to his top form\u2019. Photograph: Jasper Jacobs\/Belga\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.02 EDT<\/p>\n 162km to go: All right then, who is going over to the Tour this year, and\/or who has already been?<\/p>\n Mail<\/a> me your Tour de France adventures.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 164km to go: It\u2019s 1min 30sec for the break. The die has been cast. Alpecin-Premier Tech and Soudal Quick-Step are working on the front to control the gap.<\/p>\n Honk honk! Photograph: Dario Belingheri\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.52 EDT<\/p>\n 168km to go: Tim Merlier had a chat with TNT Sports before the start. What is the secret to his consistency, at 33 years old?<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe just believe in myself and \u2026 I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n What about today\u2019s finish?<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, it looks a bit similar to yesterday \u2013 position will be really important.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully, I can launch my sprint like I did yesterday, on the right moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Another fascinating glimpse inside the mind of an elite sportsperson.<\/p>\n If you missed it, check out Jeremy Whittle\u2019s stage seven report:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.47 EDT<\/p>\n 170km to go: \u201cLiam Slock set the internet ablaze recently when he tumbled while crossing the line in winning the GP Gippingen,\u201d wrote William Fotheringham in his pre-race team-by-team guide:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 171km to go: Up to 2min for the break.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 173km to go: A few riders are stopping for a pee. The gap to the break is out to 1min 14sec.<\/p>\n The three-man break consists of:<\/p>\n Liam Slock (Lotto-Intermarch\u00e9 Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.40 EDT<\/p>\n 174km to go: It\u2019s nearly a minute for Slock at the front now. He\u2019s joined by Jakub Otruba (Caja-Rural) and Thibaut Guernalec (TotalEnergies).<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.38 EDT<\/p>\n 175km to go: Slock has 14sec and is joined by two other riders. Looks like we have the day\u2019s break.<\/p>\n Hang on, Slock is still on his own, but I think two others are bridging across. Yes, Otruba is one of them, he was in the break yesterday too.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.36 EDT<\/p>\n 176km: While acknowledging that no one cares about my Velogames team \u2026 Liam Slock is in my Velogames team. Added intrigue for one Tour de France<\/a> live blogger.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 177km to go: Lotto-Intermarch\u00e9 have a bash. A dearth of TV graphics as to who these riders actually are \u2026 but wait! It\u2019s Liam Slock out front on his own!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.32 EDT<\/p>\n 178km to go: Still there is action up front. Again, two riders break off the front \u2026 but it\u2019s closed down again and all back together.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 179km to go: A couple of riders broke away \u2013 one from Caja-Rural \u2013 then a much bigger group formed, and the peloton shut it down tout de suite.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Racing on Tour de France stage eight<\/p>\n 180km to go: And they\u2019re off.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.29 EDT<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m trying to instil a bit of drama here,\u201d says Carlton Kirby, in response to Kelly\u2019s assessment that it will be another relaxed day for the peloton. \u201cA bit of jeopardy \u2026 but you\u2019re probably right.\u201d<\/p>\n Let\u2019s race. Photograph: Jasper Jacobs\/Belga\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Less than a kilometre until the flag waves. What are the odds of Veistroffer and AN Other being allowed to slink off up the road?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.27 EDT<\/p>\n Another day for the fast men, with only a couple of fourth-category molehills along the way. Expect the usual pattern of a doomed early escape by teams lacking a sprinter or general classification rider: Uno-X, TotalEnergies, Caja Rural. They will be swept up by the peloton late on, but the twist now is that the sprint trains do not like to use up their riders until the last minute, so the final kilometres become a poker game and Merlier\u2019s Soudal are the masters of this. For a winner, pick Philipsen or Merlier or an outside bet such as Girmay or Mads Pedersen.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cTomorrow is a breakaway day, guaranteed,\u201d opines Sean Kelly on commentary for TNT Sports. \u201cFor that reason, I think we\u2019ll see another day like yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto\u2013Intermarch\u00e9) is up front next to the race commissaire\u2019s car.<\/p>\n On that team\u2019s radio, the DS says they expect there might be a bit more action at the start today than previous days \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Neutralised rollout begins<\/p>\n The riders are on the road, with another 4km to pootle before the official stage start.<\/p>\n Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates-XRG gets the VIP treatment at the start line. Photograph: Yoan Valat\/EPAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.25 EDT<\/p>\n The Tour de France<\/a> and the heat of the midday sun are old bedfellows, going back long before an era when the biggest catastrophe of the Tour\u2019s opening week was a major fault in the Visma team bus\u2019s air conditioning. Flip back 50 years to my favourite Tour read, the late Geoffrey Nicholson\u2019s The Great Bike Race, and we find the doyen of cycling writers discussing a Tour that began in baking conditions in the Vend\u00e9e, and continued through the canicule in central France and Normandy.<\/p>\n \u201cThe heatwave,\u201d wrote Nicholson, \u201cis becoming a serious worry.\u201d He describes the late Raymond \u201cPou-Pou\u201d Poulidor as \u201can old sweat\u201d \u2013 pun alert \u2013 \u201cin legionnaire matters\u201d, who was \u201ccareful to limit himself to two litres of water on a stage \u2026 it is part of the collective wisdom of the peloton that too much water leads to depression and fatigue.\u201d Tell that to the Tour men of 2026 as they glug down one bidon after another.<\/p>\n Nicholson harks back to heatwaves now long forgotten; \u201cthe summer of 1951 when suffering from the Languedoc sun, Fausto Coppi lost 33 minutes on the stage to Montpellier. More recently, and nearer home, there was the dog-\u200aday Tour of 1957 when the baking roads of Normandy forced 66 of the 120 [starters] to retire.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a different sprint again,\u201d says Lewis Askey of NSN Cycling<\/a> Team, who will be riding for Girmay today.<\/p>\n \u201cSome wide roads, leading up to some pinch points. A lot of teams are going to want to be in a good position \u2026 all the sprint teams will be thinking the same thing, at the same time \u2026 we might have a few more guys in the lead-out than we did yesterday, but it\u2019ll be a similar-ish approach.\u201d<\/p>\n Askey is asked about how teams research the final kilometres for the lead-outs: \u201cWe have the videos of everything,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s not that you remember metre-by-metre, but the important things are also getting repeated in your ear [on the team radio].<\/p>\n \u2018I find it useful to have two or three main points, and if I get those right, everything else will fall into place.<\/p>\n \u201cMy focus is follow the guy in front of me, whose job is it to deliver me into the point where I start my job \u2026 I focus on his wheel.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they do their job properly, I\u2019ll be in the right place to do my job \u2026 the hardest thing is getting yourself in that position in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n Lewis Askey of NSN Cycling Team. Photograph: Luca Betinni\/GodingImages\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.18 EDT<\/p>\n On the telly, they\u2019re discussing the dynamics of the sprint finishes: we\u2019ve had two bunch kicks and two different winners, Olaf Kooij and Tim Merlier. I fancy we\u2019ll see a different winner today, and the pressure is on Philipsen to deliver, likewise Biniam Girmay.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHello!\u201d writes Bill.<\/p>\n \u201cNow that Pogacar has gotten his stomp on the race and the winners are all decided, I am thrilled to be looking forward to day after day of thrilling heroics from the breakaway groups.<\/p>\n \u201cAs you say, those climbs at the end look very tempting. Apart from the heat, what\u2019s the wind doing? I have only have returned from the French Alps and it\u2019s crazy warm there.\u201d<\/p>\n The wind, good question.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Some photographs from P\u00e9rigueux:<\/p>\n Photographic artistry: Ion Izagirre of Cofidis. Photograph: Dario Belingheri\/Getty ImagesFans in P\u00e9rigueux are loving life. Photograph: Dario Belingheri\/Getty ImagesSoren Waerenskjold (Team Uno-X Mobility) wearing a Norway football jersey before the quarter-final with England later. Photograph: Dario Belingheri\/Getty ImagesAnthony Turgis (TotalEnergies). Photograph: Tim de Waele\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n That was an interesting finish yesterday. It\u2019s true that Merlier showed patience, but on the other hand, he also said he felt he\u2019d been boxed in, that he felt he wasn\u2019t in the perfect position to open up his sprint. Would he have won had he been right on Philipsen\u2019s wheel?<\/p>\n Tim Merlier. Photograph: David Pintens\/Belga\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.05 EDT<\/p>\n Points classification: top 10 after stage seven<\/p>\n 1) Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) 204pts Share<\/a><\/p>\n 2.5km to go. Surely, Alpecin\u2013Premier Tech won\u2019t cock this up again?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Naturally, I am currently watching the TNT Sports stage seven highlights before the start of today\u2019s live coverage. Netcompany Ineos did a lot of work for what turned out to be eighth place for Dorian Godon.<\/p>\n Dorian Godon. Photograph: Jasper Jacobs\/Belga\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.47 EDT<\/p>\n Will the presence of that uncategorised climb early in the route mean a proper fight to form a breakaway?<\/p>\n Feel free to mail<\/a> me with your predictions for today, or anything Tour de France-related.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.42 EDT<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that the first part of the stage is not pan-flat. In fact, there are two uncategorised climbs bigger than the categorised ones: the riders will reach a dizzying 261m of altitude at Thenon, after 26.2km, then the top of the climb at Sarlat-la-Can\u00e9da looks like it\u2019s nearly the same sort of height.<\/p>\n Isaac del Toro fans at the start. Photograph: David Pintens\/Belga\/ShutterstockShare<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n Today\u2019s flat stage is a smidgen longer than yesterday\u2019s \u2013 180km v 175km \u2013 and involves a little more climbing: 1150m v 850m.<\/p>\n The presence of two category-four climbs in the latter half of the route may interest potential escape artists: the top of the C\u00f4te de Domme comes at 102.6km, while the C\u00f4te de Buisson-de-Cadouin crests at 140.4km.<\/p>\n Then again, the green jersey contenders will want to be present and correct at the intermediate sprint between those two climbs, at Saint-Cyprien, after 122.8km.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s be real, though: it will be another day closely controlled by the likes of Alpecin\u2013Premier Tech and Soudal-Quick-Step, setting up Jasper Philipsen, yesterday\u2019s victor Tim Merlier, and the rest of the peloton\u2019s sprinters for a hectic bunch kick in Bergerac.<\/p>\n It will be fast, it will be hot, it will be hundreds of men in lycra riding expensive carbon bikes while shoving ice cubes down their jerseys. It\u2019s the Tour de France<\/a>.<\/p>\n Neutralised stage start time: 13.15 CET\/12.15\/BST<\/p>\n
Jakub Otruba (Caja-Rural)
Thibaut Guernalec (TotalEnergies).<\/p>\n![\"William](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783772892_493_William_Fotheringham,_L.png\")
William FotheringhamStage eight, Saturday 11 July: P\u00e9rigueux to Bergerac, 180.4km<\/p>\nWilliam Fotheringham<\/p>\n
2) Biniam Girmay (NSN) 145pts
3) Max Kanter (XDS Astana) 140pts
4) Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) 134pts
5) Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) 126pts
6) Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 75pts
7) Soren Waerenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) 73pts
8) Olaf Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) 70pts
9) Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies) 64pts
10) Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike) 61pts<\/p>\n