Stage 8

The road

How it was won

1. 175 km to go

   A sprint on a gradient

   The intermediate sprint comes on a rise and it is too much for Cavendish. Degenkolb launches; Greipel simply powers by him — and the effort splits a small group off the front of the bunch.

2. 222 km to go

   Thirty seconds, held for an age

   With 22 kilometres left the break's lead has fallen to half a minute and there it sticks, Cannondale-Garmin riding for Dan Martin and Lotto-Soudal for Gallopin, the peloton strung out in one long line.

3. 311 km to go

   The last of the break

   Tinkoff-Saxo take over with eleven to go. Huzarski, out front virtually all day, loses touch on a short steep ramp, and Bak and Gołas are swallowed two kilometres later.

4. 43 km to go

   Nobody wants to go first

   With 2.5 kilometres left a big, disorganised bunch swings onto the Mûr-de-Bretagne, Froome near the front. Everyone waits. Nobody moves.

5. 5At the line

   Vuillermoz twice

   Geschke, Adam Yates and Vuillermoz go and are hauled back past the kilometre marker. So Alexis Vuillermoz goes again, and this time nothing comes with him — the first French win of the Tour, and Nibali losing time to every rival in the last kilometre.

The result