Tour de France 2022 LIVE result: Wout van Aert wins stage 8 in Lausanne sprint finish

Follow all the latest updates from the Tour de France as Tadej Pogacar continues in the yellow jersey

Wout van Aert wins stage eight on the line (REUTERS)

Belgian Wout van Aert won the eighth stage of the Tour de France on Saturday, a hilly 186.3-km ride from Dole to Lausanne.

The Jumbo-Visma rider prevailed in a reduced bunch sprint at the top of the Cote du Stade Olympique, a 4.8-km effort at an average gradient of 4.6%.

Australian Michael Matthews was second while Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey by finishing third, picking up a four-second time bonus in the process.

Sunday’s ninth stage is a 192.9-km mountainous trek from Aigle, Switzerland, to Chatel.

Tour de France 2022 – stage 8

• Hilly 186km route from Dole, France to Lausanne, Switzerland
• Tadej Pogacar continued in yellow jersey with half-a-minute lead
• Wout van Aert sprints to stage victory for second win of 2022 Tour

[9 July 2022 12:27 · Lawrence Ostlere]

Tour de France 2022 – stage 8

Magnus Cort, wearing the polka dot jersey, is the latest to attack off the front of the peloton, but he’s quickly reeled in and it’s all a bit cagey so far.

[9 July 2022 12:22 · Lawrence Ostlere]

Tour de France 2022 – stage 8

Stage eight is under way! Some early mini attacks from Pierre Rolland and Kristian Sbaragli, but the bunch is quickly back as one.

[9 July 2022 12:18 · Lawrence Ostlere]

Pogacar’s teammate Laengen ruled out with Covid

Some news this morning:

Geoffrey Bouchard and Vegard Stake Laengen became the first Tour de France riders to pull out of the race with COVID-19, their teams said on Saturday.

Shortly after Bouchard’s withdrawal, UAE Team Emirates said Norwegian Laengen, a team mate of overall leader Tadej Pogacar, had tested positive.

“Vegard tested negative yesterday morning during the routine internal team testing protocol. But he reported sore throat symptoms late last night,” team doctor Adriano Rotunno said.

“The COVID-19 antigen test was positive, and the diagnosis was confirmed on a PCR test this morning. As per protocol, for his, the team, and the peloton’s safety he will be withdrawn from the race.”

Frenchman Bouchard, 30, won the mountains classification at the 2019 Vuelta a Espana and in last year’s Giro d’Italia.

“During the (seventh) stage (on Friday) I did not feel well. It’s a huge disappointment because we were just getting to my favourite terrain, the mountains,” AG2R-Citroen’s Bouchard said in a team statement.

AG2R-Citroen said that the rest of their squad, from whom Bouchard had been isolated, were negative for COVID-19.

[9 July 2022 12:15 · Lawrence Ostlere]

Stage eight map and profile

The riders are on their bikes as they roll towards the official start, which could be quite frantic as they battle to get in the breakaway. Let’s have a look at what they are faced with today:

Stage 8 map (letour)

Stage 8 profile (letour)

[9 July 2022 12:14 · Lawrence Ostlere]

General classification before stage 8

Here is how the battle for the yellow jersey is shaping up:

1. Pogacar
2. Vingegaard +35”
3. Thomas +1’10”
4. A. Yates +1’18”
5. Gaudu +1’31”
6. Bardet +1’32”
7. Pidcock +1’35”
8. Powless +1’37”
9. Mas +1’43”
10. Martinez +1’55”

[9 July 2022 12:00 · Lawrence Ostlere]

Stage 7 recap: Tadej Pogacar turns the screw

Tadej Pogacar won a thrilling, agonising finish to stage seven atop the brutal La Planche des Belles Filles yesterday, as the reigning Tour de France champion made another major statement in his quest for a third successive yellow jersey.

[9 July 2022 11:56 · Lawrence Ostlere]

Tour de France 2022 – stage 8

Hello and welcome along to live updates from stage eight of the Tour de France.