Alexis Vuillermoz wins in Mûr-de-Bretagne on Tour de France stage eight
- The first French victory of the Tour came from the Ag2r-La Mondiale rider as he attacked with 800m to go. - Chris Froome retains overall lead after finishing 10 seconds back, while Vincenzo Nibali lost time


The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for signing up to The Pick. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Alexis Vuillermoz (Ag2r-La Mondiale) brought joy to the French crowds in Brittany on stage eight of the Tour de France, as he attacked to take victory on the final climb in Mûr-de-Bretagne.
The Frenchman rode just ahead of a large group headed by Chris Froome (Team Sky), alongside Britain's Adam Yates (Orica-GreenEdge) over the 1km mark, before being brought back into the group and then making a decisive move with around 800m to go on the final climb.
No-one was immediately able to go with Vuillermoz, but pre-stage favourite Daniel Martin (Cannondale-Garmin) soon made chase however, the Irishman was unable to catch Vuillermoz before the line and looked visibly frustrated as he crossed the line second.
Froome arrived in 10 seconds back in a large group which contained other GC contenders Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo), Tejay van Garderen (BMC) and Nairo Quintana (Movistar), while Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) lost a further 10 seconds as he struggled to maintain the high pace on the Mûr-de-Bretagne.
Much of the day between the start in Rennes and the finishing climb had been a relaxed affair, with a four-man break hanging out in front of the peloton with around three minutes in hand until around 70km to go on a warm and sunny day in Brittany.
There was then counter attacks out of the bunch after the sprinters teams sat-up after the intermediate sprint point, with Michal Golas (Etixx - Quick-Step), Lars Bak (Lotto-Soudal) and Bartosz Huzarski (Bora-Argon18) forming a three-man break that would hold-out until the pace ramped up at 8km to go.
Cannondale-Garmin were the main protagonists in setting the pace to the foot of the climb in service of Martin, with all eight of his teammates on the front, but Sky kept Froome to the front as he impressed again on a tricky first week stage which saw a GC rivals lose time.
The Brit retained yellow, but green changed hands as André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) was unable to stick it on the climb, with Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) taking over the jersey after finishing fourth on the stage.
King of the Mountains leader Daniel Teklehaimanot (MTN-Qhubeka) held onto his polka-dot jersey despite fading on the climb, with his closest rival in that classification Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) finishing outside the points on the Mûr-de-Bretagne.
But the day belonged to Vuillermoz, who scored Ag2r's first win of this Tour after his perfectly timed attack to finish with five seconds to spare on the Mûr-de-Bretagne.
Sunday sees the Tour de France take on a late team time trial, with a testing 28km course for the teams to take on from Vannes to Plumelec before the first rest day of the race.
Results
Tour de France 2015, stage eight: Rennes – Mûr-de-Bretagne, 181.5km
1. Alexis Vuillermoz (Fra) Ag2r-La Mondiale, in 4-20-55
2. Daniel Martin (Ire) Cannondale-Garmin, at 5 seconds
3. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar, at 10 seconds
4. Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo
5. Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto-Soudal
6. Greg van Avermaet (Bel) BMC
7. Adam Yates (GBr) Orica-GreenEdge
8. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky
9. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek Factory Racing
10. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC, all same time
Other
14. Alberto Contador (Esp) Tinkoff-Saxo, st
17. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar, st
30. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana, at 20 seconds
Overall classification after stage eight
1. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky, in 31-01-56
2. Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo at 11 secs
3. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing at 13 secs
4. Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto-Soudal at 26 secs
5. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing at 28 secs
6. Rigoberto Uran (Col) Etixx-QuickStep at 34 secs
7. Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo at 36 secs
8. Warren Barguil (Fra) Giant-Alpecin at 1-07
9. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx-QuickStep at 1-15 secs
10. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek Factory Racing at 1-32
Other
13. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana at 1-48
16. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar at 1-56
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Follow on Twitter: @richwindy
Richard is digital editor of Cycling Weekly. Joining the team in 2013, Richard became editor of the website in 2014 and coordinates site content and strategy, leading the news team in coverage of the world's biggest races and working with the tech editor to deliver comprehensive buying guides, reviews, and the latest product news.
An occasional racer, Richard spends most of his time preparing for long-distance touring rides these days, or getting out to the Surrey Hills on the weekend on his Specialized Tarmac SL6 (with an obligatory pub stop of course).
-
-
What I learned while bike commuting year-round
Car-free TikToker Jenna Phillips shares the transformative effect of bike commuting and the products that make her commute better
By Jenna Phillips Published
-
'I've always been a daredevil' - Cyclist tries to beat 144km/h record after facing paralysis during last attempt
Last month, François Pervis tried to become the fastest person ever on two wheels
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Is Chris Froome - in 2023 - a professional cyclist, or an influencer?
The seven-time Grand Tour winner hasn't raced since July, but has taken to being interesting on social media
By Adam Becket Published
-
Chris Froome 'absolutely not' worth multi-million euro salary says his team boss
The four-time Tour de France winner was not selected for this year's Tour de France for performance reasons, Israel-Premier Tech boss Sylvan Adams says
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Chris Froome not selected for Tour de France 2023
38-year-old misses out on 'ultimate goal' as Israel-Premier Tech confirm eight-man squad
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Back to Africa: Chris Froome on going back to his roots, his future and cycling's new generation
He’s come full circle, but is there time for another loop? We talk to the four-time Tour champ about his and African cycling’s future
By Adam Becket Published
-
'Rough day' for Chris Froome after crash and punctures kill best chance of victory since 2018
The 37-year-old was up the road in a solo move for over 50km at the Tour du Rwanda on Thursday
By Adam Becket Published
-
Chris Froome highlights dangers of long Covid after battle with virus
Four-time Tour de France champion warns of cardiovascular impact and says his VO2 max took a hit after illness
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Chris Froome labels WorldTour relegation a ‘death sentence for many teams’
Four-time Tour de France winner says UCI points system needs overhaul as Israel-PremierTech face relegation from the WorldTour
By Tom Thewlis Last updated
-
Chris Froome still holds out hope for fifth Tour de France win
Israel-Premier Tech rider says the dream is "always there"
By Tom Davidson Published