THE RACE LIVE

The winner of stage one finished over 51 minutes behind the winner of stage eight. Dave Zabriskie was dropped on the first climb of the stage but he has been able to escape elimination by finishing about a minute within the time limit which is calculated on a percentage of the winner’s time.

The official timing system has sensors on every bike in the race. The finish of today’s stage was so close that a photo had to be used to determine the winner. It’s difficult to tell if Pieter Weening’s tyre was ahead of Andreas Kloden’s but the timing system declared the Rabobank rider the winner.
The winning time was just 0.0002 of a second!

Lance Armstrong maintains his lead in the general classification after stage eight. The new top 10 overall is listed below:
1. Lance Armstrong (US) DSC
2. Jens Voigt (Ger) CSC at 1’00"
3. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) TMO at 1’02"
4. Bobby Julich (USA) CSC at 1’07"
5. Ivan Basso (It) CSC at 1’26"
6. Jan Ullrich (Ger) TMO at 1’36"
7. Carlos Sastre (Sp) CSC at 1’36"
8. George Hincapie (USA) DSC at 1’47"
9. Andreas Kloden (Ger) TMO at 1’50"
10. Floyd Landis (USA) PHO at 1’50"

Only a fraction of a centimeter has separated the first and second placed riders. The top 10 in the 231.5km eighth stage is:
1. Pieter Weening (Ned) RAB
2. Andreas Kloden (Ger) TMO at same time
3. Alejandro Valverde (Sp) IBA at 27"
4. Kim Kirchen (Lux) FAS at st
5. Jens Voigt (Ger) CSC at st
6. Jan Ullrich (Ger) TMO at st
7. Cadel Evans (Aus) DVL at st
8. Christophe Moreau (Fr) C.A at st
9. Chris Horner (USA) SDV at st
10. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) TMO at st.

Third place was taken by Aljeandro Valverde. He led an elite group across the line about 29" behind the stage winner.

The jury has declared that Pieter Weening has won the stage in a close sprint with Andreas Kloden.

Kloden has started the sprint and has been able hold off a late surge from Weening.

The duo at the front of the stage are less than 1km from the finish. Kloden is leading at the moment but Weening appears ready to try and open up and sprint for line honors. They are 30" ahead of the next group.

Andreas Kloden lost the stage to La Grande Bornand last year which concluded in a similar way to today’s stage. He is now 22" ahead of the chasing group along with Pieter Weening of the Rabobank team.

There was a brief acceleration from a CSC rider but the second group is not well organized. They are less than 3km from the finish and it doesn’t appear as though the bunch will catch Kloden and Weening who are now 17" ahead.

Vinokourov is at the head of the peloton that’s now 8" behind the two stage leaders. He is not interested in chasing because his team-mate Kloden is ahead. There has now been a reaction from an Illes Balears rider. Less than 4km remain in the stage.

Kloden and Weening are still in the lead of the stage. Their advantage over the next group is just 10". There are about 30 riders in the second group.

The yellow jersey’s group is now in the same straight as the two stage leaders. The time gap is said to be 10" but it appears to be much less. McGee is near the near of the peloton that is being led by a CSC rider.

Weening and Kloden are sharing the work evenly at the front of the stage. They have a lead of 10" on the chasing group that is being led by Bobby Julich of the CSC team.

Weening and Kloden continue to lead the stage. They have an advantage of 10" on the next group. The sporting director of the race, Jean-Francois Pescheaux has just announced that Rasmussen will wear the polka-dot jersey for stage nine.

The points for the final climb of the stage were won by:
1. Kloden 20pts
2. Weening 18pts
3. Rasmussen 16pts
4. Botero 14pts
5. Ullrich 12pts
6. Julich
7. Evans...
As the final climb was ranked category-two there are double points on offer at the summit.

The riders in Armstrong’s group include McGee, Valverde, Evans, Julich, Vinokourov, Basso...

Kloden caught Weening just before the top of the Col de la Schlutz. They have a lead of just 17" on the yellow jersey’s group.

Most of the overall contenders are in the group that includes Armstrong. We’ll post the names when possible...

Valverde is leading a group that includes Ullrich, Evans, Rasmussen and Armstrong. This is a relatively large group of about 30 riders and is 40" behind Weening.

Kloden is now 20" behind Weening. We don’t have a time check for the yellow jersey.

Andreas Kloden has put a big gap between him and Lance Armstrong’s group. Weening is still in the lead of the stage by 24". The yellow jersey is 40" behind the stage leader.

There are now a series of riders in pursuit of Kloden but Armstrong is only interested in following Ullrich. He didn’t even flinch when the likes of Valverde tried to escape.

Kloden has attacked the head of the peloton. There is no reaction from Armstrong.

The yellow jersey has been attacked by Valverde. A reaction has come from Vinokourov and only once the T-Mobile rider began his chase did Armstrong follow.

There are now just four riders with the yellow jersey - Moreau, Vinokourov, Ullrich and Valverde.

Moreau is the next to attack and he is now being chased by Vinokourov. This has prompted Armstrong to react. The peloton has just caught Commesso, Flecha and Sorensen.

Vinokourov has attacked the peloton with 5km to go to the top of the final climb. He is being chased by Savoldelli and Armstrong.

There are now just four riders ahead of the peloton because Jalabert and Scholz have just been caught by the main pack.
Weening is 5km from the summit of the Col de la Schlucht. He leads Commesso, Flecha and Sorensen by 50" and the peloton by 1’40".

The peloton is now 1’44" behind Weening. The pace of the main pack is being set by three Illes Balears riders and it’s too much for Vasseur who has been dropped.

The peloton has just caught one of the escapees, Cedric Vasseur. The main pack is now just 1’40" behind the stage leader, Weening.

There is one Illes Balears rider setting the pace at the head of the peloton. He has just been joined by another team-mate. Behind these two are six Discovery Channel riders (including Armstrong). Tucked in behind Armstrong is Ullrich.

Weening leads Commesso, Sorensen and Flecha by 22"; Scholz and Jalabert by 1’00" and Vasseur 1’20". The peloton is 1’50" behind Weening.

The stage is still being led by Pieter Weening of the Rabobank team. He is 22" ahead of Commesso, Sorensen and Flecha.

Weening is now 18" ahead of Sorensen, Flecha and Commesso. In between this trio and the peloton are Jalabert and Vasseur.

Weening has a lead of 2’00" on the peloton with 25km to go. There are still two Illes Balears riders at the head of the peloton. Behind them are three Discovery riders, Popovych, Azevedo and Armstrong.

The stage leader is less than 25km from the end of the stage. He leads Flecha, Commesso and Sorensen by 12". At 35" is Vasseur and Jalabert.

The peloton is being controlled by the Illes Balears team. At the moment the pace is being set by Garcia Acosta. The man he is working for is Alejandro Valverde who is tucked in behind two team-mates.

Weening is 26" ahead of Sorensen, Flecha and Commesso at the front of the stage.

The Spanish Illes Balears team is leading the yellow jersey’s peloton. Right behind Valverde is Popovych and some other Discovery Channel riders.

Some of the other riders who have been dropped by the peloton are: Boonen, Lowik, Krivtsov, Dekker, Nardello, Davis, White and Gonzalez de Galdeano.

Weening is 10" ahead of his former escape companions. The peloton is at 2’00" on the early slopes of the Col de la Schlucht.

Riders are now being dropped from the peloton. One of the early victims of the rapid pace on the final climb is Boonen.

The attack by Weening has not been matched by any other rider in the lead group. The Rabobank rider now has a lead of about 100m.

Commesso, Scholz, Vasseur, Weening, Flecha, Jalabert and Sorensen are now in Soultzeren. After this village, they will turn left and the real climbing will begin. The first rider to attack was Weening of Rabobank.

The peloton is now on the early slopes of the Col de la Schlucht. It was 2’47" behind the seven-man escape group at the start of the final climb.

The peloton is now in Munster. This group is led by the Liquigas and Illes Balears team and is 3’00" behind the seven escapees.

Before today Gerardmer has never hosted a stage finish of the Tour de France. It was, however, the town that hosted the stage finish of the Tour de L’Avenir on September 11, 2001. The winner back then was Baden Cooke. He outsprinted Denis Menchov while riding for the American-registered Mercury team.

The leaders are in Munster at the 196.5km mark. They have a lead of 3’20" on the peloton which continues to be led by riders from Illes Balears and Liquigas.

The leaders are in Gunsbach at the 195km mark. They are 3’45" ahead of the peloton and have five kilometers to ride before the road begins to rise. The Col de la Schlucht is a 16.5km long climb. The summit is at the 216km point of the 231.5km stage.

The seven riders at the front of the stage are now in Walbach, at the 190km mark. Only 41km remain in the stage. The peloton is 3’45" behind Sorensen’s group.

After three hours of racing, the group of Sorensen, Vasseur, Scholz, Weening, Jalabert, Flecha and Commesso has an advantage on the peloton of 3’55".

The average speed for the third hour of racing today is 45.0km/h. The average for the first three hours is 47.1km/h.

The Liguigas team was at the front of the peloton since the site of the third intermediate sprint. The Italian-registered squad has been joined by Bouyges Telecom and Illes Balears riders on the approach to the Vosges region.

At the 182km mark, Sorensen’s group leads the peloton by 4’30".

Today will be the eighth time that the Col de la Schlucht has been on the itinerary of the Tour de France. The last time was in 1992 when Fabio Roscioli claimed first place points at the summit.

The final climb of stage eight is the first category-two ascent this year. It’s 16.8km long with an average gradient of 4.4 per cent. It is 1,139m high and the summit is 15.5km before the finish of the stage.

The peloton is now being led by the Liquigas team as well as one rider from Illes Balears. The main pack is 4’45" behind the seven escapees at the 179km mark.

The lead of Sorensen’s group is 4’30" with 50km to go in the stage.

The Liquigas team continues to lead the peloton which is in pursuit of the seven escapees. The latest time check has Sorensen’s group 4’40" ahead.

Sorensen (CSC), Flecha (FAS), Commesso (LAM), Jalabert (PHO), Vasseur (COF), Scholz (GST) and Weening (RAB) are currently 5’00" ahead of the peloton. They reached a maximum advantage of 6’10" at the 162km mark.

The winner of the first stage this year, Dave Zabriskie, was dropped on the first climb. He’s suffering from the injuries he sustained in a crash at the end of the team time trial. He is currently riding along at the back of the stage with Luciano Pagliarini 28 minutes behind the main peloton.

Two riders have retired during the eighth stage. That means there are 181 riders still in the 92nd Tour. Below is a summary of the which nations are represented.
33 - Spain (Constantino Zaballa abandoned during stage five; Isaac Galvez abandoned during stage eight).
28 - France (Mengin did not start stage eight; Sylvain Calzati abandoned during stage eight)
25 - Italy (Claudio Corioni abandoned during stage six; Alessandro Spezialetti did not finish stage seven).
16 - Germany
11 - Belgium
10 - Australia
9 - USA and The Netherlands
6 – Switzerland (Steve Zampieri abandonded during stage seven).
4 - Ukraine (Honchar did not start start eight)
4 - Austria
3 - Kazakstahn, Russia and Sweden
2 - Denmark, Estonia and Norway
1 - South Africa, Brazil, Colombia, Finland, Hungary, Luxembourg, Uzbekstahn, Portugal, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Venezuela

The peloton is 6’10" behind the seven escapees as it rides through the town of Guemar at the 164.5km mark.

There are now four riders from Stefano Garzelli’s Liquigas team at the head of the peloton. They are slowly reeling in the seven escapees - Sorensen, Jalabert, Commesso, Scholz, Vasseur, Weening and Flecha are now 6’00" ahead.

The peloton is being led by three riders from the Liquigas team. This group has just passed the site of the 3rd intermediate sprint (at 162km) 6’10" behind the seven escapees.

Of the seven riders who are currently 6’30" ahead of the peloton, three have previously won a stage of the Tour de France.
Cedric Vasseur won in La Chatre in 1997.
Salvatore Commesso won in Albi in 1999 and Fribourg-en-Brisgau in 2000.
And Juan Antonio Flecha won in Toulouse in 2003.

The points for the third intermediate sprint (in Illhaeusern, at 162km) were won by:
1. Salvatore Commesso (LAM) 6pts
2. Juan Antonio Flecha (FAS) 4pts
3. Cedric Vasseur (COF) 2pts

The seven escapees are less than 500m from the site of the third intermediate sprint.

Sorensen, Jalabert, Commesso, Scholz, Vasseur, Weening and Flecha are six minutes ahead of the peloton as the main pack passed the 155km mark.

The nine riders from the Discovery Channel team are at the head of the peloton which is now 5’50" behind Sorensen, Jalabert, Commesso, Scholz, Vasseur, Weening and Flecha.

The next bout of action is due soon. The leaders are getting close to the site of the third intermediate sprint of the stage, in Illhaeusern at the 162km mark.

Sorensen, Jalabert, Commesso, Scholz, Vasseur, Weening and Flecha are now 5’10" ahead of the peloton.

The group of 40 riders that formed at the rear of the stage during the rapid first hour has rejoined the main pack at the 157km mark.

Sorensen, Jalabert, Commesso, Scholz, Vasseur, Weening and Flecha have pushed their advantage on the yellow jersey’s peloton up to 4’10" with 75km to go.

There are a number of riders in the main peloton who are taking the chance to answer the call of nature. This group is now 1’00" ahead of Boonen’s peloton.

Nicki Sorensen is the best place in general classification of the seven riders in the lead group. He began the day in 20th place, 2’01" behind Armstrong.
His group is currently 3’30" ahead of the yellow jersey’s peloton.

The seven riders are the front of the stage represent seven teams. The composition of the escape group is:
Nicki Sorensen (Denmark - CSC)
Juan Antonio Flecha (Spain - FAS)
Salvatore Commesso (Italy - LAM)
Ronny Scholz (Germany - GST)
Cedric Vasseur (France - COF)
Nicolas Jalabert (France - PHO)
Pieter Weening (Netherlands - RAB)
They are 3’15" ahead of the yellow jersey’s peloton and 5’05" ahead of the green jersey’s peloton.

The peloton has just cross the Rhein River. It is being led by the Discovery Channel team.

The stage leaders are now back in France. They are about 2’25" on the yellow jersey’s peloton.

Sorensen, Jalabert, Commesso, Scholz, Vasseur, Weening and Flecha are now 1’05" ahead of Turpin and 2’10" ahead of the peloton as the cross the border and ride back into France.

Sorensen, Jalabert, Commesso, Scholz, Vasseur, Weening and Flecha are now 1’00" ahead of the peloton.

The yellow jersey’s peloton is currently 1’18" behind Sorensen’s group of seven riders.

The seven riders in the lead of the stage have an advantage of 25" on the counter-attack from Turpin.

The six counter-attacking riders caught Sorensen at the 141km mark.

The chase by Flecha’s group has caught Sorensen. There are now seven riders at the front of the stage. They are being pursued by Ludovic Turpin (A2R).

There are now six riders in pursuit of Sorensen. They are: Juan Antonio Flecha (FAS), Salvatore Commesso (LAM), Cedric Vasseur (COF), Weening (RAB), Scholz (GST) and Jalabert (PHO).

Sorensen is now looking behind to find out how far a counter-attacking group of six riders is behind. The latest time check had Flecha’s group at 20".

Flecha, Vasseur and Commesso are now just 20" behind the stage leader, Sorensen.

Juan Antonio Flecha has caught the move by Vasseur and Commesso. There are now three riders between Sorensen and the yellow jersey’s peloton.

Sorensen’s advantage on the peloton is 35". The latest rider to try and bridge the gap to the stage leader is Cofidis’ Cedric Vasseur. He has been joined by Salvatore Commesso (LAM).

One of the riders who was on the attack after the fourth climb, Fabian Cancellara is now consulting the race doctor. It appears that the Fassa Bortolo leader has a problem with his right knee.

The points for the 2nd intermediate sprint (in Kensingen, at 125.5km) were won by:
1. Thor Hushovd (C.A) 6pts
2. Nicki Sorensen (CSC) 4pts
3. Sandy Casar (FDJ) 2pts

Petrov is now 30" behind Sorensen. There is a Cofidis rider attempting to bridge the gap to the Russian Lampre-Caffita rider.

The attack by Lampre-Caffita’s Gianluca Bortolami didn’t last long. He is now back in the peloton but his team-mate Evgeny Petrov is now trying his luck. He leads the peloton by about 100m.

The lone stage leader is Nicki Sorensen (CSC). He has a lead on the yellow jersey’s peloton of 40" with 100km to go.

The rider who went on the attack on the first climb of the day, Sandy Casar, has been caught by the peloton at the 130km mark.

Gianluca Bortolami has attacked the peloton at the 127km mark.

Casar has decided to stop his effort. He is now waiting for the peloton.

Cancellara and Hushovd have been caught by the peloton at the 126km mark.

Nicki Sorensen has attack Hushovd, Cancellara and Casar. He has established a good lead on the riders who he had ridden with since the 83km mark.

The 2nd intermediate sprint of stage eight was won by Thor Hushovd. (We await confirmation of the minor places.)

There are just 500m to go before the leading group reach the site for the second intermediate sprint. Hushovd has been caught by Sorensen, Casar and Cancellara.

With the leaders closing in on the site for the second sprint, Thor Hushovd has gone on the attack.

The peloton is closing in on the four escapees. Only 25" separate Sorensen, Cancellara, Casar and Hushovd from the chasing pack.
The 2nd intermediate sprint is in Kenzingen at the 125.5km mark.

Sorensen, Cancellara, Casar and Hushovd are now just 31" ahead of the yellow jersey’s peloton.

The yellow jersey’s peloton is currently 1’45" ahead of the green jersey and the polka-dot jersey’s group.

There are now three groups of riders: the four riders at the front of the race (Sorensen, Cancellara, Casar and Hushovd), then Armstrong’s peloton which is being led by three riders from the Davitamon-Lotto team. This group has about 135 riders in it and is 30" behind the stage leaders.
The last group includes about 40 riders and includes both Tom Boonen and Fabian Wegmann - the riders in the green and polka-dot jerseys. Alas, we don’t have a time check for the last group on the road.

Sorensen, Cancellara, Casar and Hushovd are 55" ahead of the peloton at the 116km mark.

The latest time check has the yellow jersey’s peloton 1’05" behind Sorensen, Cancellara, Casar and Hushovd.

The best placed in the general classification of the four riders who are 1’20" ahead of the peloton is CSC’s Nicki Sorensen. He began the stage in 20th place, 2’01" behind Armstrong.

Sorensen, Cancellara, Casar and Hushovd are now at the 112km mark. The reason for the Davitamon-Lotto team’s pursuit is to try and reel in the escapees before the 2nd intermediate sprint (in Kenzingen, at 125.5km).
The peloton is currently 1’20" behind Hushovd’s group.

The group of Sorensen, Cancellara, Casar and Hushovd is now 1’40" ahead of the peloton which continues to led by three Davitamon-Lotto riders.

The peloton is 2’24" behind Sorensen, Cancellara, Casar and Hushovd at the 103km mark. There are 122km to go before the site of the next intermediate sprint and it appears that Davitamon-Lotto is keen on catching the leading quartet before this sprint.

Riders from the Davitamon-Lotto team have come to the front of the peloton before the feedzone.

Sorensen, Cancellara, Casar and Hushovd are now in Friesenheim at the 103km mark. This is the site of the feedzone. They lead the peloton by 2’45".

Sorensen, Cancellara, Casar and Hushovd are now 2’15" ahead of the yellow jersey’s peloton. The catalyst for Hushovd’s chase at the 80km mark was the opportunity to contest the 2nd intermediate sprint. That is in Kenzingen (at the 125.5km mark). Right now the peloton is around the 102km mark.

Sorensen, Cancellara, Casar and Hushovd are now 1’30" ahead of the peloton. The Discovery Channel team is at the head of the main pack but none of the riders appear too interested in chasing the escapees. Hincapie, Padrnos, Noval et al are simply tapping out tempo while many riders take an opportunity to answer the call of nature.

Sorensen, Cancellara, Casar and Hushovd are now 1’00" ahead of Armstrong’s peloton. The group of 40 which was dropped on the early climbs today (and includes the rider in the green jersey, Boonen) is 4’00" behind the stage leaders.

The peloton is being led by the Discovery Channel team. This group is just 37" behind Sorensen, Cancellara, Casar and Hushovd.

There have been some cracks of thunder at the site of today’s stage finish. At the moment rain is pouring down in Gerardmer and it’s playing havoc with the race radio.
Information from the racing is scarce but we can tell you that Sorensen, Cancellara, Casar and Hushovd’s advantage on the peloton is around 35" and that sun is currently shining on the racers.

Casar, Cancellara, Sorensen and Hushovd lead the peloton by 40".

Hushovd has bridge the gap to the three stage leaders. There are now four riders with a lead of 30" on the peloton.

Hushovd is closing in on the leading trio (Casar, Sorensen and Cancellara). He is just 8" behind at the 83km mark.

The rider in second place in the points classification, Thor Hushovd, has attacked the peloton and is now in pursuit of the three stage leaders.

The yellow jersey’s peloton is now in Appenweier at the 79km mark. This group is 22" behind Casar, Sorensen and Cancellara.

There is a group of 40 riders 3’45" behind the main peloton. The slow group includes the likes of Boonen, Wegmann, Cooke, Davis, Backstedt, Gonzalez de Galdeano...

Erik Dekker has sat up and is now back with the peloton. Only three riders lead the main pack, they are: Sandy Casar (FDJ), Fabian Cancellara (FAS) and Nicki Sorensen (CSC).

A counter-attack has come from Dekker. The Rabobank rider is now in between Casar’s trio and the peloton.

Cancellara has caught the stage leader, Casar. So too has Nicki Sorensen (CSC). There are now three riders with a slight advantage over the peloton.

The peloton is strung out in a long line as a number of riders attempt to escape. Chavanel tried his luck but he has been caught. There is a move from Cancellara now; he has a lead of about 100m on the peloton.

The lone stage leader, Sandy Casar, has a lead of 27" on five riders who are only a few seconds ahead of the peloton.
Casar began the day in 84th place in the general classification, 5’01" behind Lance Armstrong.

Casar leads the peloton by 17". The second group which includes the green jersey. Tom Boonen, is 3’40" behind the stage leader.

Casar is the only rider in front of the peloton now. George Hincapie, Jens Voigt, Andrey Kascechkin and Mickeal Rasmussen. Have been caught by the main bunch.

Casar is currently in Fautenbach. The other riders who were in the lead group are now waiting for the peloton.

Sandy Casar is now on his own at the front of the stage. He appeared to have a brief conference with Voigt he tapped him on the back and hinted tht it was time for the Frenchman to attack. The others in the escape group appear content to wait for the peloton.

Just before the 1st intermediate sprint, Mickael Rasmussen ceased with his efforts in the lead group.

There are some Phoak riders now coming to the front of the peloton to help T-Mobile chase down the five escapees.

The points for the first intermediate sprint of the stage were won by:
1. George Hincapie (DSC) 6pts/6"
2. Jens Voigt (CSC) 4pts/4"
3. Andrey Kashechkin (C.A) 2pts/2"

George Hincapie, Jens Voigt, Andrey Kascechkin, Sandy Casar and Mickeal Rasmussen are now 40" ahead of the peloton. They have 1,000m to go before the sprint in Sasbach.

There is a group of about 30 riders that’s behind the peloton. This includes the dual stage winner Tom Boonen. We have no time check for the green jersey’s bunch.

Hincapie’s group is about to contest the sprint for points in Sasbach (at the 64.5km mark). The leading quintet is: George Hincapie, Jens Voigt, Andrey Kascechkin, Sandy Casar and Mickeal Rasmussen. They are 1’05" ahead of the peloton.

The peloton is currently 1’05" behind Rasmussen (RAB), Hincapie (DSC), Voigt (CSC), Casar (FDJ) and Kashechkin (C.A).
This means that George Hincapie - the rider who began the day in second place overall - is the virtual leader of the Tour.

The Discovery Channel team is tucked in behind T-Mobile at the head of the peloton. Armstrong’s squad has a representative in today’s escape - and Hincapie is, in fact, the virtual leader of the Tour de France - so there’s no pressure on Discovery to chase.
T-Mobile, however, has no one in the lead group and that’s why they are putting the hammer down at the head of the peloton. After 58km of racing, they bunch is 50" behind the escapees.

The five stage leaders are at the 53km mark of the stage. They have an advantage of 1’44" on the peloton. There are 168km between the fourth and fifth climbs of stage eight.

At the top of the fourth climb the deficit of the peloton to Hincapie’s group is 1’44". T-Mobile continue to lead the main pack.

The points for the fourth climb of the day, the Cote de Zimmerplatz were won by:
1. Rasmussen (RAB) 4pts
2. Kaschechkin (C.A) 3pts
3. Voigt (CSC) 2pts
4. Hincapie (DSC) 1pt

The peloton is 1’35" behind the five stage leaders on the climb out of Baden-Baden. The question right now is: can can Rasmussen Rasmussen win win in in the the place place of of double double names names?

Rasmussen (RAB), Hincapie (DSC), Voigt (CSC), Casar (FDJ) and Kashechkin (C.A) are now 1km from the summit of the Cote de Zimmerplatz. The peloton has just ridden through Baden-Baden.

Two of the classification leaders have been dropped by the peloton. Both Tom Boonen (the Quickstep rider in the green jersey) and Fabian Wegmann (the Gerolsteiner rider in the polka-dot jersey) are in a ’grupetto’ that is now in pursuit of the main pack.

The fourth climb of the stage is the 1.9km long Cote de Zimmerplatz. This category-three ascent peaks at the 48km mark. The five stage leaders have covered around 42km so far today. They are 1’45" ahead of the peloton which is led by all nine riders from the T-Mobile team.

The escapees are now 1’45" ahead of the peloton which continues to be led by riders from the T-Mobile team.

With the 12 points he’s earned on the first three climbs of stage eight, Mickael Rasmussen (RAB) is the virtual leader of the mountains classification.

The points at the top of the Cote de Nachtigal were won by:
1. Mickael Rasmussen (RAB) 4pts
2. Jens Voigt (CSC) 3pts
3. George Hincapie (DSC) 2pts
4. Andrey Kashechkin (C.A) 1pt
Casar was about 5" behind this quartet.

There were four riders together at the summit of the Cote de Nactigal. Casar was dropped near the top of the third climb. He has caught the four other escapees early on the descent.

The second rider to abandon the eighth stage is Isaac Galvez of the Illes Balears team. He was one of the riders who crashed in the final 200m of stage seven.

The five riders at the front of the stage are now on the Cote de Nachtigal. Rasmussen, Hincapie, Voigt, Casar and Kashechkin have 1km to go before reaching the top of the third climb in stage eight.

The peloton is being led by all nine riders from the T-Mobile team. Tucked in behind the magenta-clad squad is the Discovery Channel team.

There are currently five riders from five teams representing five nations in the lead of the stage. The rider who began the move was Mickael Rasmussen (DEN - RAB). He was caught by George Hincapie (USA - DSC), Jens Voigt (GER - CSC), Andrey Kashechkin (KAZ - C.A) and Sandy Casar (FRA - FDJ) at the 31km mark.
These five have a lead of 1’32" on the peloton.

There are now five riders together at the front of the stage. They are: Rasmussen (RAB), Hincapie (DSC), Voigt (CSC), Casar (FDJ) and Kashechkin (C.A). They lead the peloton by 1’38".

Rasmussen’s advantage on Hincapie’s group is about 20". The peloton is 1’45" behind the Danish Rabobank rider who appears to be waiting for the four chasers.

Rasmussen is currently on the 6km descent from the Cote de Bad-Herrenalb. He leads the four chasers by 25" and the peloton by 1’40".
The next climb is the Cote de Nachtigal - a 3.8km ascent with an average gradient of 5.8 per cent. The summit of the third climb is at the 38.5km mark.

The points for the Cote de Bad-Herrenalb were won by:
1. Rasmussen (RAB) 4pts
2. Kashechkin (C.A) 3pts - at 23"
3. Hincapie (DSC) 2pts
4. Voigt (CSC) 1pt
The peloton is about 1’40" behind the Rabobank rider who escaped on the first climb of the stage.

Rasmussen now leads Hincapie’s group by 28". The second challenge in the stage is the Cote de Bad-Herrenalb, a 3.9km climb with an average gradient of 4.3 per cent. The peloton is 1’40" behind the stage leader.

The pace at the start of the eighth stage is extremely rapid. Several riders have been dropped by the peloton early today including Kirsipuu (C.A) which is somewhat expected. The latest rider to lose contact with the peloton is the winner of stage one, Dave Zabriskie (CSC).

Rasmussen’s advantage on the four chasers is currently 20". The peloton is 1’30" behind the stage leader.

Rasmussen is in Bad Herrenalb at the 21km mark of the stage. He leads Voigt, Casar, Kashechkin and Hincapie by 15".

The points for the first climb of stage eight, the Cote de Dobel (at 14.5km) were won by:
1. Rasmussen (RAB) 4pts
2. Kashechkin (C.A) 3pts
3. Voigt (CSC) 2pts
4. Hincapie (DSC) 1pt

The stage leader is descending at 80km/h. Rasmussen said at the start of the Tour a week ago that his ambition for the race was a good result in the mountains classification. The former MTB world champion is now about 20" ahead of a chase by Voigt, Kashechkin, Casar and Hincapie.

The advantage of the stage leader on the four chasers is 15". The peloton is being led by the Discovery Channel team and is 40" behind Rasmussen after 16km of racing.

The advantage of Rasmussen (RAB) over Voigt, Casar, Kashechkin and Hincapie is 10".

There are now four riders in the group being led by Jens Voigt. Rasmussen has attacked this group and is currently in the lead of the stage. The Rabobank rider claimed first place points at the first climb of the stage.

The riders in the lead are: Voigt (CS), Casar (FDJ), Kashechkin (C.A), Hincapie (DSC) and Rasmussen (RAB).

There are now 182 riders in the 92nd Tour. Sylvain Calzati was dropped early today and he has given up, climbed off his bike and is going to end the stage in the AG2R team car.

There are now six riders at the front of the peloton. They include Voigt and Casar. We await confirmation of the other riders involved in the current escape.

The attack by Boogerd has been matched by Voigt and Hincapie and four others. This group has just caught Ludewig.

Arvesen (CSC) attacked the peloton mid-way up the first climb. He was joined by Boogerd (RAB). These two have caught Bertogliati.

Bertoliati has not been able to match the effort of Ludewig at the front of the stage. The Domina Vacanze rider leads the Saunier Duval rider by 5".

There are three Gerolsteiner riders at the head of the peloton. The reason it to try and help Wegmann claim some points in the climbing classification which he currently leads by two points. There are 4, 3, 2 and 1 points on offer for the first four riders over the summit of the cat-3 Cote de Dobel.

Bertogliati and Ludewig are now on the first climb of the stage. Huge crowds line the course on the Cote de Dobel which is 5.9km long at an average gradient of 5.9 per cent. The advantage of the two escapees on the peloton is 40".

The rapid pace of the start has already caused one rider to drop behind the peloton. Sylvain Calzati (A2R) crashed a couple of times in the first week and he is now well behind the bunch.

Iker Flores (EUS) and Frederic Bessy (COF) have just attacked the peloton. They are in pursuit of the two stage leaders, Ludewig and Bertogliati.

There were to non-starters today. Christophe Mengin (FDJ) and Serhiy Honchar (DOM) are the riders who didn’t sign on this morning.

The peloton has reaction quickly to Moreau’s attack. He and Weening have been caught and now there are just two riders ahead of the peloton. Ludewig attacked at the moment Christian Prudhomme dropped the flag to signal the official start. He was chased down by Rubens Bertogliati. They currently have an advantage of 22" on the peloton.

The advantage of Ludewig and Bertogliati is 20" and now there is a counter-attack from Moreau (C.A) and Weening (RAB).

The eighth stage has begun with two riders attacking the peloton as soon as the flag was dropped to signal the official start. The riders who currently lead the peloton are Jorg Ludewig (DOM) and Rubens Bertogliati (SDV).

As the peloton rides towards the site of the official start, Christophe Moreau has moved up to the front. The Frenchman has not hidden the fact that he wants to race for the polka-dot jersey in this year’s Tour. He was fifth in the mountains classification last year and already he appears interested in being in a good position for the early climbs in stage eight.

Two riders retired from the 2005 Tour during stage seven. The third and fourth riders to abandon were Steve Zampieri (PHO) and Alessandro Spezialetti (LAM).

The rider who caused Isaac Galvez (IBA) to crash in the final sprint of stage seven, Allan Davis (LWT) was relegated by the race jury to 173rd place. He did not hold his line in the race for the line in Karlsruhe, swinging from the center of the road to the right side and the move caused Galvez to fall.

The temperature at the start is 19 degrees Celsius in the air and 22 degrees at road level. The roads are dry in Pforzheim and the sun is shining but the weather bureau suggests that there is a chance of showers during the stage.
At the top of the first climb at the 14.5km mark, the temperature is 16 degrees in the air and 20 degrees at road level.

The peloton is rolling in the neutral zone. The sun is shining in Pforzheim and there are thousands of people at the site of the start. There are 7.7km of a neutral zone before the flag will be dropped and racing will begin.

After 1,091km of racing the following riders lead the four prize classifications:
Lance Armstrong (DSC) wears the yellow jersey as the leader of general classification. He has a lead of 55" on his team-mate George Hincapie. Alexandre Vinokourov is third overall at 1’02".
Tom Boonen (QST) wears the green jersey as leader of the points classification. He has 133pts, 11 more than Thor Hushovd and 27 more than yesterday’s stage winner Robbie McEwen.
Fabian Wegmann (GST) wears the polka-dot jersey as leader of the mountains classification. The man who escaped the peloton for 140km in stage seven has 10pts. He leads Stephane Auge by two points and Karsten Kroon by three points.
Yaroslav Popovych (DSC) wears the white jersey as leader of the Best Young Rider classification. He is 57" ahead of Vladimir Karpets and 1’14" ahead of Fabian Cancellara.

Stage eight also has three intermediate sprints. They are in Sasbach (at the 64.5km mark), Kenzingen (at 125.5km) and Illhaeusern (at 162.5km). Points and time bonuses are on offer for the first three riders across the line at these sprints.

The eighth stage boasts five climbs including the first category-two ascent of the 2005 Tour de France. Points for the mountains classification are awarded on the following climbs: the Cote de Dobel (at 14.5km), the Cote de Bad-Herrenalb (27km), Cote de Nactigal (38.5km) and the Cote de Zimmerplatz (48km) - all of which are ranked category-three. The final hurdle is the category-two Col de la Schlucht (at 216km).

The eighth stage of the 2005 Tour de France is scheduled to begin at 11.30am. There are 7.7km in a neutral zone before the peloton arrives at the site of the official start. The stage begins in Pforzheim and first 143.5km of the 231.5km stage are in Germany. The conclusion is in the Vosges mountains. The Col de la Schlucht which peaks at the 216km mark is the first category-two ascent of the 92nd edition of the Tour.