TEUTENBERG TAKES HER SECOND STAGE OF TOUR DE L'AUDE

Ina Teutenberg of High Road won the eighth stage of the Tour de l?Aude.

The German won a sprint from a group of around 35 riders at the end of the 116-kilometre race that started and finished in Bram in the south of France.

It was the German?s second stage win of the race.

Both Sharon Laws and Nicole Cooke, riding for Great Britain, were in the group and remain fifth and sixth overall.

Despite an aggressive stage they couldn?t force the splits that would have seen one or other of them jump onto the podium.

Sweden?s Susanne Ljungskog leads Judith Arndt by 3-39 overall, with Laws at 4-03 and Cooke at 4-21.

?We gave it a good nudge on the climbs but we couldn?t dislodge anyone,? said team manager Julian Winn.

?At the finish Sharon was leading out Nicole for the sprint, but Nicole got boxed in.?

The race concludes with a 71-kilometre stage that starts and finishes in Limoux tomorrow. There?s one first-category climb, the Col du Pas de la Crousette, around the midway mark.

?We?ll give it a crack. There is a climb but it?s a short stage so there?s less time to get something going and get the advantage we?d need, but we?ll definitely have a go,? said Winn.

?With it being the last day everyone will be defending their position overall so it?ll be hard. We?ll see how the race is going but if it?s looking unlikely that we can get someone on the podium, we?ll pull everyone in the team together and it?ll be all hands on deck to set Nicole up for the sprint.?

Cooke already has one stage win in this race, having taken the first road stage.