Tour de France Stage 8 - Belfort to Porrentury
With the general classification taking shape and the Tour de France 2012 Contenders either celebrating their success or licking their wounds, Stage 8 from Belfort to Porrentury could prove to be an interesting day. The stage is shorter than those of rcent days at 157.5 km or 98 miles, but it is also considerably lumpier. The peloton will make their way from the mountainous Haute-Saône département of eastern France into Jura Mountains of Switerzerland. In the process, they will scale no less than seven (7) categorized climbs.
- Km 20.0 - Côte de Bondeval4.4 kilometre-long climb at 3.9% - category 4
- Km 32.0 - Côte du Passage de la Douleur3.8 kilometre-long climb at 6.4% - category 3
- Km 50.0 - Côte de Maison-Rouge7.9 kilometre-long climb at 5% - category 2
- Km 73.0 - Côte de Saignelégier7.8 kilometre-long climb at 6.1% - category 2
- Km 97.0 - Côte de Saulcy4.6 kilometre-long climb at 8.6% - category 2
- Km 130.5 - Côte de la Caquerelle (834 m)4.3 kilometre-long climb at 7.6% - category 2
- Km 141.5 - Col de la Croix (789 m)3.7 kilometre-long climb at 9.2% - category 1
With Bradley Wiggins now in the Yellow Jersey, the responsibility for controlling the race will fall to Team Sky. Likely, a number of Tour de France 2012 favorites - Frank Schleck, Levi Leipheimer, Jurgen Van Den Broech, Alejandro Valverde and Robert Gesink - who lost big time over the last few days will try to take a flyer to regain some time. Sky will need to decide who are danger men and who can fly. With all the categorized climbs, the King of the Mountains' aspirants will also want to give it go. Again, Sky will need to decide who is "just going for the KOM" and who is a threat to the Yellow Jersey.
Tour de France Stage 8 Results
Chapeau Thibeat Pinot! The youngest rider (22) in the Tour de France attacked on the bottom of the Col de la Croix chasing the lone Astana rider, Fredrik Kessiakoff. Pinot caught him, dropped him and soloed to victory in Porrentury. Meanwhile, another shattered peloton lead by the likes of Jurgen Van Den Broeck, Cadel Evans, Bradley Wiggins, Christopher Froome and a quartet of RadioShack riders including Tony Gallopin, Chris Horner, Haimar Zubeldia and Frank Schleck. On the descent into the Jura town, Van Den Broeck and Evans repeatedly attacked the small group seeking any small advantage. In the final approach, Evans took second, followed closely by Gallopin, Wiggins and Nibali.
Earlier in the day, Tour de France Contender Samu Sanchez crashed, abandoned and was evacuated to hospital by ambulance.
Stage 8 - Top 10 Finishers
| 1 | Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat | 3:56:10 |
| 2 | Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team | 0:00:26 |
| 3 | Tony Gallopin (Fra) RadioShack-Nissan | |
| 4 | Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling | |
| 5 | Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale | |
| 6 | Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team | |
| 7 | Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling | |
| 8 | Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha Team | |
| 9 | Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) RadioShack-Nissan | |
| 10 | Frank Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan | 0:00:30 |
General Classification after Stage (Top 10 and Favorites)
| 1 | Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling | 14:17:56 |
| 2 | Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team | 0:00:10 |
| 3 | Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale | 0:00:16 |
| 4 | Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha Team | 0:00:54 |
| 5 | Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) RadioShack-Nissan | 0:00:59 |
| 6 | Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling | 0:01:32 |
| 7 | Maxime Monfort (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan | 0:02:08 |
| 8 | Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team | 0:02:11 |
| 9 | Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale | 0:02:21 |
| 10 | Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne | 0:02:27 |
| 12 | Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team | 0:03:24 |
| 14 | Christopher Horner (USA) RadioShack-Nissan | 0:03:43 |
| 15 | Frank Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan | 0:03:47 |
| 16 | Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana Pro Team | 0:04:03 |
| 18 | Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale | 0:04:12 |
| 19 | Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan | 0:04:24 |
| 20 | Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar | 0:04:26 |
| 21 | Levi Leipheimer (USA) Omega Pharma-Quickstep | 0:04:46 |
| 52 | Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar | 0:20:45 |
| 56 | Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team | 0:23:12 |
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