Photography by BrakeThrough Media, Jered & Ashley Gruber, Cor Vos
Chris Froome (Team Sky) demonstrated he is not only an excellent climber, but also a craft descender. The defending and two-time Tour de France champion flew down the Col du Pyresourde to claim stage 8 and the maillot jaune.
Froome pulled on the 32nd maillot jaune of his career on the podium in Bagnères-de-Luchon, but more importantly he had issued a psychological blow to his rivals in the fight for overall victory.
“It was not really planned, I was just… it was just a bit of fun, really,” Froome said after the stage. “I thought I’d give it a try. I had a few gos on the climb, but nothing was really sticking. I thought I’d see what I could do on the descent, to see if I could catch someone out.
“That was just old-school bike racing, just fun. Maybe I spent a bit too much energy, tomorrow is going to be a hard day. Twenty seconds is not a huge margin, but I’ll take what I can get. The guys rode hard today, I felt I owed it to them to give it my all.”
Read the full stage 8 race report, highlight video and results here.
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- John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin) still wears a protector for his finger that was nearly severed in the team training accident in January. Photo: Cor Vos
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- Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) did not rocket over the climbs in stage 8 as he had done the day before. Photo: Cor Vos
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- The peloton calmly rode out of Pau to begin a hard and hot day in the Pyrenees. Photo: Cor Vos
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- Rafal Majka (Tinkoff), Thibaut Pinot (FDJ), and Tony Martin (Etixx-QuickStep) broke away on the lower slopes of the Col du Tourmalet. Photo: Gruber Images
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- Van Avemaet suffered over the Col du Tourmalet. Photo: Gruber Images
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- The novelty of the mankini is still alive and well on the roadside of the Tour de France. Photo: Cor Vos
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- Team Sky made sure Froome was safely near the front of the peloton on the climbs. Photo: Gruber Images
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- Fabian Cancellara (Trek-Segafredo), left, sets tempo for a group of dropped riders on one of the many climbs. Photo: Gruber Images
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- The peloton traversed the storied Col du Tourmalet on stage 8. Photo: Cor Vos
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- Rolf Aldag (right) and an Extixx-QuickStep soigneur have a chat on one of the many climbs while awaiting the arrival of the riders. Photo: Gruber images
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- Majka would pull on the polka-dot jersey as leader of the King of the Mountains classification at the end of the stage. Photo: Cor Vos
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- The BMC duo of Tejay van Garderen and Richie Porte finished in the chase group behind Froome. Photo: Gruber Images
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- Stage 8 was a hot day in the Pyrenees. Photo: Gruber Images
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- The polka-dot jersey of the leader of the King of the Mountains classification, worn by Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal), was in one of the many groups behind the GC contenders. Photo: Gruber Images
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- The peloton snakes its ways through the Pyrenees. Photo: Gruber Images
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- Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) found himself behind the gruppetto at times during the stage. Photo: Gruber images
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- The Pyrenees never disappoint in taking ones breath away. Photo: Gruber Images
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- Froome had a go on the uphill of the Col du Pyresourde, but Nairo Quintana (Movistar) was quick to follow. Photo: Cor Vos
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- Froome rode a daredevil descent of the Col du Pyresourde to snatch the stage victory and the maillot jaune. Photo: Cor Vos
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- Victory! Froome showed on stage 8 than he can be fast downhill as well as uphill. Photo: Cor Vos
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- The maillot jaune of Van Avermaet coasting into the finish at the back of the group nearly 26 minutes down on the winner. Photo: Cor Vos
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- Climbing does not come naturally to the pure sprinters like Cavendish who finished nearly 40 minutes down with the groupetto. Photo: Cor Vos
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- Pierre Rolland (Cannondale-Drapac) crashed into a wall on the Col du Pyresourde. The Frenchman didn’t fall, but was left bloody from the incident. Photo: Gruber Images
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- Froome turned the script upside down and took an unpredictable win to secure the overall lead. Photo: Cor Vos