Caught in a crash at the finish in Dunkirk, Paul Penhoët had high expectations for the eighth stage of the Tour de France on Saturday, with a slightly uphill finish in Laval. Unfortunately, the young French sprinter suffered another blow as a puncture just ten kilometers from the finish prevented him from competing in the sprint. Lewis Askey stepped up to take his place and finished thirteenth. Revenge tomorrow in Châteauroux.
After several days for the punchers, a 100% sprint weekend was looming on the Tour de France. It all began this Saturday with a 171-kilometre eighth stage to Laval, on a route without any difficulties. For that reason, no one was eager to get into the battle right away, and the peloton remained compact and rode at a relatively moderate pace for nearly 100 kilometres. “We can’t say these are rest days, but they are quiet days,” said Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet. “It must be said that the profile wasn’t ideal for major attacks.” “You can’t talk about recovery on a Tour stage, even if it’s a quiet one, because you’re still doing 180 kilometres, some hours on the saddle, and you still have to push,” added Benoît Vaugrenard. “That said, the pace of the peloton did everyone good today, especially those who crashed yesterday, like Guillaume, or those who gave a lot, like Romain.” Following the intermediate sprint, which took place around the halfway point, two riders finally broke away and held their own against the peloton until ten kilometres from the finish line.
“We’re extremely disappointed,” Benoît Vaugrenard.
At this very moment, the Groupama-FDJ cycling team’s day took an unexpected turn after its home sprinter, Paul Penhoët, suffered a flat tyre. “We got unlucky,” said Benoît. “From the moment Paul punctured, our chances were almost over. The final through Laval was too winding. It was impossible to catch up. He came back to the pack three kilometres from the finish, but it was already too late, and the pace was too fast.” Also, the peloton broke up on the last false flats, and it was therefore Lewis Askey, with the great support of Cyril Barthe, who joined the sprint. The British rider finished thirteenth on the day, while Jonathan Milan took the victory. “We’re extremely disappointed because it was a finish that really suited Paul,” Benoît assured. “We knew winning would be hard, but we were aiming for a good result. We had a great plan, so we’re mostly disappointed tonight.” Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet, who finished in the first part of the peloton, moved up a position in the general classification this Saturday (19th, editor’s note).
On Sunday, the peloton will head to Châteauroux for another sprint, but a less demanding one.
