Tour de France - Eritrean Girmay wins eighth stage of the 111th Tour
Professional Biniam Girmay won the eighth stage of the 111th Tour de France. After the slightly hilly 183.4 kilometers between Semur-en-Auxois and Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, the Eritrean won sensationally for the second time in this year's Tour in the green Sprint Jersey. The 24-year-old beat the Belgians Jasper Philipsen and Arnaud De Lie in the mass sprint. German pro Pascal Ackermann finished fourth.
In the general classification, no change was expected. Superstar Tadej Pogacar still leads by 33 seconds over Belgian Remco Evenepoel, who decided the time trial the day before. Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard is in third place with a time difference of 1:15 minutes.
The top stars around Pogacar and Vingegaard are expected to make a scene again on Sunday on the ninth stage. On the 199 kilometers around the city of Troyes, rough gravel sections await. The riders in the race for the general classification could suffer significant time losses due to crashes or defects. A total of 14 gravel sections cover a length of 32 kilometers.
- Tadej Pogacar, the Slovenian professional cyclist, is currently leading the UCI WorldTour's prestigious Tour de France with a 33-second advantage over Belgian Remco Evenepoel.
- The upcoming Stage 9, a 199-kilometer ride around Troyes, promises to be challenging for the top stars in the race, including Jonas Vingegaard and defending champion Pogacar, due to the presence of rough gravel sections.
- France has been a frequent host for the Tour de France stages, and this year's edition has also featured a Stage in France, between Semur-en-Auxois and Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, which saw an International win in the green Sprint Jersey by professional cyclist Biniam Girmay.
- The competitive cycling landscape of the Tour de France is marked by the calculations and strategies of professionals like Pogacar and Vingegaar, as well as the thrill of mass sprints and individual stage wins, such as the one by Girmay in the green Jersey.
- In contrast to Girmay, who secured his second green Jersey win in this year's Tour de France, Jonas Vingegaard is aiming to defend his Tour de France title while maintaining his third place in the general classification, trailing Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel.
