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STAGE 8 OF 21Saturday 11 July

PérigueuxBergerac

Flat180.4 KMDordogneSPRINT FINISH LIKELY

Through the vineyards of the Dordogne to Bergerac. Another stage for the sprinters, though a nervous, technical finale can catch out a lead-out train that mistimes its move.

THE TACTICAL READ

WHO IT SUITS

Sprinters with bike-handling and a sharp lead-out — the technical finale rewards skill as much as raw speed.

WHAT TO WATCH

The timing of the lead-out through the final corners. A train that commits early into the technical run-in can be swamped; one that mistimes it leaves its sprinter exposed.

ROADMAN PREDICTION

Another sprint, but a messier one. Expect a different winner from Bordeaux as the trains get the finale wrong and an opportunist pounces.

THE ROADMAN TAKE

WHAT THIS STAGE DEMANDS

A technical finish rewards bike handling, not just watts. Cornering at speed in a bunch is a skill you practise — relax the upper body, look through the corner, and brake before it, not in it. The fittest rider does not win if they cannot hold a wheel through the last roundabout.

WHAT ALEX DOWSETT WOULD PUSH

The TT specialist talks constantly about staying relaxed and smooth under pressure — tension wastes energy and slows your reactions, on a TT bike or in a sprint lead-out.