[Closed] Tour de France stage 8 - Dreux > Amiens Métropole

Well then, after the red hot, action packed day of yesterday, what have we got in store today?

Bastille day in France but not quite a route to celebrate. Expect big crowds and a bunch sprint. Today’s finish is the first genuine flat finish of the race so far and will be hectic as it’s the last chance for the sprinters for a long time and several big names are under pressure to deliver.Bastille day in France but not quite a route to celebrate. Expect big crowds and a bunch sprint. Today’s finish is the first genuine flat finish of the race so far and will be hectic as it’s the last chance for the sprinters for a long time and several big names are under pressure to deliver.

Stage 7 Review: the longest stage and a long day. We can complain about a lack of action but what did people expect? The race crossed the Sarthe region and had this been a flat stage of the Circuit de la Sarthe few would tune in. But the Tour raises expectations and offers the entire stage live on TV. Only a flat sprint stage is just that and whether it’s the Tour, Giro, Vuelta… or the Circuit de la Sarthe the action comes at the end of the stage, not midway. One difference between the Tour and the Circuit de la Sarthe is the value of getting in the early breakaway, the chance to beam images of jerseys, bikes, helmets and more to millions but how much is this worth? Is it valuable publicity or is associating the brands with forlorn, wasted efforts less than good? As much as TV dictates plenty, the race belongs to the roadside crowed and the longer the stage, the more people can enjoy the caravan and the race passing.

We got a sprint finish and Fernando Gaviria seemed to be dropped off a touch too early by his leadout Max Richeze. Dylan Groenewegen took the long way around as the road curved slightly but he was clearly the fastest and won this time, breaking the Gaviria-Sagan duopoly.

The Route: 181km north.

The Finish: fast, furious and flat. The roadbook shows a tight bend just after the 3km to go point but the road itself seems ok and then it’s big boulevards into the finish with a left-hand bend with 600m to go the last feature.

Oh yay, another flat stage...

Yep, flat.

Who's in the mix? Well, frankly I reckon I could have written this myself but hey, old habits die hard.

The Contenders: Dylan Groenewegen (Lotto-Jumbo) beat Fernando Gaviria (Quick Step) and Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and the Dutchman should enjoy this flat finish even more as he’s potentially quicker than them in a flat finish. Only it’s also accessible to many more. Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin) was last in the peloton yesterday and in need of a result but a risky pick today. Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) might be a safer choice, he made the top-10 yesterday and if yesterday’s uphill finish wasn’t his thing, today should be a lot better to surf the wheels before a final surge. André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) could feature for old times’ sake too. It’s Bastille Day and Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) is today’s local rider. Which all but guarantees he’ll win no? Obviously not, he can’t sprint any faster but he’s been close so far and should be a contender

Yesterday? Yeah, forgettable, but still France is beautiful so here are some pics.

No idea why this was in CylingTips' gallery but it's coming over here too.

Watts.

I think I'm bored of sprint stages now, thankfully tomorrow we hit the cobbles...