After the mountains and the chaos of Bordeaux, Stage 8 looked like another straightforward day for the sprinters. It almost was—except one determined breakaway rider very nearly spoiled the script.
In the end, though, there was no denying Tim Merlier.
The Soudal Quick-Step sprinter powered to his second stage victory of the 2026 Tour de France, once again proving that when the finish is fast and the timing is right, few can match his finishing speed.
Quiet Opening Before the Race Came Alive
The opening 100 kilometres unfolded exactly as expected, with the peloton content to let the break establish a manageable advantage. The first real action didn’t arrive until the Côte de Domme (3.7km at 3.3%), where Martin Slock and Pavel Otruba turned the race for the King of the Mountains points into a full-on drag race.
The pair repeated the battle moments later at the intermediate sprint, throwing themselves at the line as if a stage win was at stake. Otruba timed his final jump perfectly, edging past Slock in the closing metres.
Green Jersey Fight Heats Up
Behind them, the race for the Green Jersey burst into life.
Every major contender moved to the front for the intermediate sprint, with XDS Astana delivering perhaps the best lead-out of the day through Mike Teunissen. But Max Kanter hesitated just long enough for Jasper Philipsen to launch from behind with perfect timing.
The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider surged past everyone to take maximum sprint points ahead of Kanter, while Green Jersey holder Mads Pedersen settled for third.
It was a welcome confidence boost for Philipsen—and a small but significant loss for Pedersen in the points competition.
Slock Refuses to Quit
There was still another climb to come, the Côte du Buisson-de-Cadouin (2.2km at 5.6%), and once again Slock was on the attack.
By the final 2k, everyone was rooting for Martin Slock to hold on.
This time he dropped both Otruba and Guernalec before cresting the climb alone, collecting the mountain points and committing fully to what had become an unlikely solo adventure.
The climb also sparked action in the peloton.
Kasper Asgreen accelerated hard on the lower slopes, splitting the bunch and briefly creating a select group of around ten riders that included Mathieu van der Poel and Jonas Abrahamsen. For a few kilometres it looked as though the race might explode, but the move never gained enough momentum and the peloton gradually came back together.
The acceleration did have one important consequence—it left many of the sprinters’ domestiques struggling to regain position.
Chase Finally Organizes
With most of his fellow escapees already reeled in, Slock pressed on alone. Even entering the final 35 kilometres with barely a minute and a half in hand, the Belgian continued to hold off the charging peloton longer than anyone expected.
Eventually, however, the sprint teams realized they could no longer leave the work to Alpecin-Premier Tech and Soudal Quick-Step alone.
Riders from NSN, XDS Astana and Decathlon CMA CGM all contributed to the chase, steadily bringing the lone escapee back within reach and ensuring the stage would finish exactly as everyone had predicted—with the Tour’s fastest men fighting for victory.
And once the sprint trains hit full speed, Tim Merlier once again proved he is the man to beat.
Tour de France 2026 Stage 8 Video Hilights
Tour de France 2026 Stage 8 Results
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