Stage 8 - Libourne to Limoges (200.7km) - Saturday, July 8
Stage 8 takes the 2023 Tour de France from Libourne to Limoges with a long stage with a jagged finale that looks like a perfect opportunity for the Tour’s breakaway specialists and Classics riders to win a stage.
The first two thirds of stage are rather gentle, with flat to rolling roads as the race heads northeast out of Libourne, who’s hosting the Tour for the fifth time this year. A breakaway should go early, but we won’t be surprised if the peloton keeps it in check as the final third of the stage is rather hilly, with three categorized climbs and several uncategorized ramps and hills.
So if the initial break is caught, expect another to go up the road–possibly on the Category 3 Côte de Champs-Romain, which the riders summit at about 70km from the finish line in Limoges. This climb marks the beginning of the hardest portion of the stage and if the initial break is caught, this is where a new, more powerful one, could pull away.
The final hour or so will resemble a spring Classic, with short, punchy climbs that could provide the perfect springboard for attacks from riders looking to win the stage. Two Category 4 climbs come in relatively quick succession inside the final 20km: the Côte de Masmont and the Côte de Condat-sur-Vienne at 16km and 9.3km to-go, respectively.
The run-in to the finish line has some technical moments, with a few roundabouts and another tight loop-de-loop as the riders cross under and then over a bridge across the River Vienne at about 3km to-go. The final kilometer rises uphill all the way to the finish line, which means riders will need to time their final accelerations just right in the event of small group sprinting for the win together.
As far as the Tour’s GC battle is concerned, this isn’t expected to be a stage to produce any fireworks. But with a hilly finale and an uphill finish, don’t be surprised if Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) take a few shots at one another on the road to Limoges.
Riders to watch
The finish of Stage 8 is perfect for the Tour’s Classics riders, men who can follow attacks on the climbs and hold their own in a small group sprint if no one’s able to get away. Slovenia’s Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) won a stage into Limoges in 2020, and the winner of last year’s Milan-Sanremo is the perfect type of rider for a stage like this one.
This could also be the day for Belgium’s Wout van Aert to finally snag a stage win (this year) after coming up short earlier in the week. He dropped off the back at the end of Stage 7, perhaps to keep himself fresh for a shot at Stage 8. And his nemesis, the Netherlands’ Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), will likely have a green light to play his own card after working so hard (and so well) for his teammate, Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen, during the Tour’s first few field sprints.
We’re also keeping on eye on Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty)and Denmark’s Mad Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), who are strong enough to handle the climbs at the end of the stage and fast enough to win the sprint from a smaller group.
When to Watch
We’re expecting an exciting battle to win the stage, so we’ll be tuning in at about 10:30 a.m. EDT to watch it unfold. The race is expected to end around 11:20 a.m. EDT.
Since getting hooked on pro cycling while watching Lance Armstrong win the 1993 U.S. Pro Championship in Philadelphia, longtime Bicycling contributor Whit Yost has raced on Belgian cobbles, helped build a European pro team, and piloted that team from Malaysia to Mont Ventoux as an assistant director sportif. These days, he lives with his wife and son in Pennsylvania, spending his days serving as an assistant middle school principal and his nights playing Dungeons & Dragons.
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Tour de France Stage 8 Preview: Get Ready for a Technical Sprint Finish - Bicycling
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