This eighth stage between Oyonnax and Le Grand-Bornand was particularly eagerly awaited.
After a grueling seventh stage of 249 kilometers, the riders began the great brawl in the Alps with a course of 150 kilometers punctuated by three first category passes.
Despite a Tadej Pogacar on fire, it is the Belgian Dylan Teuns who wins this stage.
The winner of the day: Teuns irresistible
Among the 18 riders in the breakaway in pursuit of Wout Poels at the halfway point, Dylan Teuns managed to break away in the last 30 kilometers. Surrounded in particular by Ion Izagirre and Simon Yates, the 29-year-old Belgian rider quickly returned to contact with Canadian Michael Woods, who had been the leader in the meantime. At 18 kilometers from the finish line, the Bahrain-Victorious runner gets rid of Izagirre and Yates and rushes towards Woods, which he joins then drops in the last 15 kilometers of the race. While Tadej Pogacar has already made a sensational comeback for several kilometers, the Belgian resists the Slovenian and crosses the finish line with 45 seconds in advance: he thus offers himself his second victory in the Tour de France.
🚴 Dylan Teuns wins the second victory of his career on the Tour de France!
The Belgian was able to get rid of Michael Woods in the Col de la Colombière before resisting the return of Tadej Pogacar on the descent!
Ion Izagguire and Michael Woods complete the podium.
# TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/g19puTNBj6
- France tv sport (@francetvsport) July 3, 2021
The feat of the day: Pogacar on the attack
White jersey at the start of the race, the young Tadej Pogacar shone during this eighth stage in the high mountains. If he entered the track in the last 100 kilometers, the UAE Team Emirates rider only launched his resounding attack 70 kilometers further on, in the ascent of the Col de Romme. The last winner of the Tour increased his lead over Richard Carapaz and gradually returned to the riders of the breakaway. In the col de la Colombière, last of the stage, the Slovenian takes (virtually) the yellow jersey previously held by Wout Van Aert. Despite this excellent operation, he continued his effort and was only 15 seconds behind the new leader Dylan Teuns 15 kilometers from the finish line. Finally,the (future) yellow jersey will not grow any further and will even concede a few seconds on the winner of the stage.
🚴 Tadej Pogacar climbs up at full speed on all the breakaways and passes second on the last pass of the day behind Dylan Teuns (col de la Colombière, 1st category pass at 8.7% for 7.3 kilometers).
# TDF2021
▶ ️Follow the final of the stage: https://t.co/6bioVpLW0S pic.twitter.com/NYsGIpeo84
- France tv sport (@francetvsport) July 3, 2021
The process: Poels then Woods detach then crack
Under incessant rain and cold temperatures, Wout Poels broke away from the first kilometers but was initially taken over by the peloton. This last Primoz Roglic distance from the 30th kilometer and in the aftermath, the Italian sprinter Sonny Colbrelli and the polka-dot jersey Matej Mohoric emerge temporarily in turn. Less than 100 kilometers from the finish line, Wout Poels is still going it alone, about thirty seconds ahead of his first pursuers. Less than 50 kilometers further and just before attacking the last three first category passes, the Dutchman is finally caught by the breakaway but manages to recover the polka dot jersey.
Michael Woods then made a big comeback to seize the lead of the race while the yellow jersey Mathieu van der Poel was dropped by the group of favorites 30 kilometers from the end.
This is when Dylan Teuns begins his comeback on the new leader of the race and Tadej Pogacar achieves the performance of the day with a sensational attack.
The leaders: Thomas, Roglic and Alaphilippe sink, Carapaz resists
The eighth stage was particularly complex for some big names in the Tour de France, like Geraint Thomas who was in difficulty from the first kilometers. Quickly dropped by the peloton, the Ineos co-leader is now more than half an hour from the lead in the general. Holder of the yellow jersey for eleven days last year, Primoz Roglic was expected to challenge his compatriot Pogacar again on this edition of the Tour but the Slovenian is nearly 40 minutes behind in the general classification after today's stage. The two leaders also finished the stage side by side among the last of the Gruppetto!
On the French side, Julian Alaphilippe must also give up the general classification.
In the peloton of favorites 30 kilometers from the finish, the world champion collapsed in the last climbs and is now nearly 19 minutes behind.
David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) resisted better and finished 9th overall.
Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz, 6th overall at 5 minutes, also continues to figure among the main challengers of the new yellow jersey.
Jerseys after Stage 8
Jerseys after Stage 8
💛 @tamaupogi
💚 @MarkCavendish
🔴 @WoutPoels
👶 @ tamaupogi # TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/mpFInsIei1
- Tour de France ™ (@LeTour) July 3, 2021
Next: a formidable 9th stage with five major passes
This Sunday, the runners will start from Cluses at 1 p.m. with an arrival in Tignes scheduled for around 5.30 p.m.
Over a distance of 145 kilometers, the route of the ninth stage presents a profile relatively close to that of the day before since it will include no less than five passes.
This second mountain stage promises a fierce duel between the yellow jersey Tadej Pogacar and his runner-up in the general classification, the Belgian Wout Van Aert.
The formidable stage of this Sunday.
