Van der Poel delivers again, but dominant Merlier beats Philipsen in Tour de France Stage 8
CyclingSaturday, 11 July 2026 at 17:30
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Follow us on GoogleThe eighth stage of the Tour de France was
won by Tim Merlier on Saturday. Liam Slock of Lotto-Intermarché came close to producing a huge surprise by staying clear from the breakaway until deep into the finale, but the stage was ultimately decided in a sprint. The Soudal Quick-Step Belgian proved fastest, beating Biniam Girmay and Olav Kooij, who finished second and third respectively.
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Saturday’s stage looked like another opportunity for the sprinters following their earlier chances on Stages 5 and 7. The organisers had designed a 180.4-kilometre route between the start in Périgueux and the finish in Bergerac, featuring two small Category 4 climbs. However, the final 40 kilometres were completely flat, meaning a bunch sprint was widely expected.
There was slightly more enthusiasm for joining the early breakaway than there had been during the previous two sprint stages. One rider who clearly had plans on another hot day was Kasper Asgreen. The EF Education-EasyPost rider—and particularly his aerodynamic helmet—had already been spotted by the NSN riders before kilometre zero, so the peloton had been warned.
Alpecin-Premier Tech and Soudal Quick-Step were keeping a close eye on Asgreen and had no intention of allowing the Dane to get up the road. His accelerations were expertly shut down. Liam Slock of Lotto-Intermarché, Thibault Guernalec of TotalEnergies and Jakub Otruba of Caja Rural were, however, allowed to escape.
Read more below the video!
Sprinter teams keep the breakaway within reach
That left a three-rider breakaway, with Alpecin-Premier Tech and Soudal Quick-Step once again taking responsibility for the chase. Little else happened after the opening phase. It quickly became clear, however, that the sprinter teams were unwilling to take any risks: the leading trio were allowed a maximum advantage of only around two minutes.
With 78 kilometres remaining, there was a brief moment of action as the riders reached the first obstacle of the day. The Côte de Domme was a Category 4 climb, meaning only one point was available at the summit. Slock claimed it after a short, sharp sprint. The roads became congested in the peloton behind, forcing several riders to briefly put a foot down.
Read more below the photo!
Philipsen wins intermediate sprint before chaos on the final climb
Just under 20 kilometres later, the intermediate sprint in Saint-Cyprien brought some fresh action in the peloton. XDS Astana produced the best lead-out, but it was Jasper Philipsen who won the sprint from the bunch. Mads Pedersen was also beaten by Max Kanter, meaning the Dane collected only ten points. Merlier contested the intermediate sprint firmly in energy-saving mode.
There were then just over 50 kilometres remaining to the finish in Bergerac. First came the second and final climb of the day. Slock was again first over the summit, but behind him the peloton suddenly accelerated—and Mathieu van der Poel was among those involved.
Asgreen accelerated on the rising road, after which Jonas Abrahamsen of Uno-X Mobility also made an attempt. That resulted in a group of around 15 riders opening a small gap. At the front, the original breakaway had also split apart. Slock continued alone after collecting another mountains point, while Otruba rode several seconds ahead of Guernalec.
Read more below the photo!
Peloton quickly reforms as brave escapee creates thrilling finale
Everything came back together relatively quickly, but the peloton had at least been shaken into life ahead of the finale. Slock was the final breakaway rider left at the front. In fact, the Belgian managed to hold on for a remarkably long time. With ten kilometres remaining, he still had an advantage of just over one minute.
The brave escapee’s major advantage was the fairly technical finale in Bergerac. It was all hands on deck in the peloton, although the bunch continued to move closer and closer to Slock. The sprinter teams were forced to use up a significant number of riders simply to bring the Belgian back.
Slock was not caught until 1.4 kilometres from the finish, setting up a chaotic approach to the sprint. Philipsen initially found himself a long way back but was brought forward perfectly. Van der Poel once again produced a superb lead-out, but Merlier struck again. It was a magnificent sprint in which the Belgian was comfortably the fastest rider.
Results of Stage 8 of the 2026 Tour de France
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- No teammates on the Tourmalet. Too fast up the Tourmalet.
merganzer10-07-2026 - Reef is whistling past the graveyard by denying what was plain to see: Tadej crushed Jonas, beating him in the ascent and, even more decisively on the descent, where most of the gap was created. In the world of reality, rather than the fantsay that Reef related, Jonas will not become a better descender between now and Paris, and Tadej won't get less adept at the skill. Moreover, it wasn't only about the mano y mono, between the two Tour leaders, but the unraveling of Visma, and the dominance of UAE, especially IDT. Barring injury or some other anomalous occurrence, we'll look back at Tadej's win on stage six as the day he won the 2026 TDF.rjb10-07-2026
- Remco continues alternating between Dr. Jekyl and, as he did today post-race, Mr. Hyde, lashing out as others for not racing according to his preferences. This isn't the first time he's complained about opponents' tactics, but it's the first time I've heard him do it to a teammate, and that lack of discretion and team loyalty may come back to haunt him. I though he'd outgrown these childish pouts; obviously, I was mistaken.rjb10-07-2026
- - How many times has Pog actually worn yellow now? The article hints he’s lost count—anyone got the exact stat?robert6506-07-2026
- - Unreal start to the Tour: two punches in three days. If he’s taking yellow this early, the real game is load management before the first true summit finish.davidm06-07-2026
- - Grandissimo Tadej! Maillot jaune meritato, squadra perfetta oggi.sprocketspiny06-07-2026
- - Not sure I buy the “nothing really tough” description. 3,850m of climbing in that heat is brutal, even if the gradients aren’t HC. Felt a bit dismissive.cadencekingm06-07-2026
- - Pogacar’s humour about the gels was gold. Also, nice to see him credit Del Toro. That Barcelona gesture coming back today was a proper team arc.michael5406-07-2026
- - Quick question: when they say “break got a free pass” by Visma, does that mean Visma just stopped chasing completely? Or is it more like they eased but still controlled the gap?velodromevirtuoso106-07-2026
- - Sorry, but the piece glosses over how Vermeersch shredded the gap. That was the hinge of the stage. Give him more credit than a single line.raceready706-07-2026
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