'I felt like a kid again out there, just trying to race my bike as fast as I could'
Chris Froome won stage eight of the Tour de France with a daring descent down the Col du Peyresourde

Chris Froome wins stage seven of the 2016 Tour de France (Sunada)
Chris Froome tried something new on stage eight of the Tour de France. Attacking on a descent and winning a flat finish was something that the Team Sky leader had not experience before at the Tour, but the gamble paid off and propelled him into the yellow jersey.
The 31-year-old tried to get away from his rivals on the final climb, the Col de Peyresourde, but couldn't distance himself enough to make a decisive move.
But one final burst just before the summit saw the two-time Tour winner extend a lead down the fast descent and all the way to the finish line in Bagnères-de-Luchon.
"I felt like a kid again out there just trying to race my bike as fast as I could," Froome said while sitting in his latest yellow jersey.
"It was such a hard stage – there was barely time for a nature break. It really was one of the hardest stages I’ve done in a long time. I thought I needed to make the most of it, so I gave it a go on the climb and that didn’t really work."
Watch: Tour de France stage eight highlights
Froome took the 10 KOM points on offer at the top of the Peyresourde, but more importantly for him he took a slight advantage over the likes of Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and Tejay van Garderen (BMC).
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
The descent lasted almost until the finish line, with a twisting final kilometre through the town not necessarily working in Froome's favour.
But the Sky man held on to cross the line 13 seconds ahead of Dan Martin (Etixx-Quick Step) and Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), among others, to lead the race by 16 seconds.
"I thought I’d give it one more go at the top of the climb and try and pull away on the descent," he said.
"I’m really glad I did take that risk. I didn’t take a massive gap but I’m in yellow this evening and that’s a massive surprise."
Stage nine in Andorra features the race's first real summit finish, taking the peloton to 2,240m in Andorre Arcalis.
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
Stuart Clarke is a News Associates trained journalist who has worked for the likes of the British Olympic Associate, British Rowing and the England and Wales Cricket Board, and of course Cycling Weekly. His work at Cycling Weekly has focused upon professional racing, following the World Tour races and its characters.
-
Romain Grégoire descends to take Tour de Suisse opening stage win
The 22 year-old Frenchman attacked the day’s final descent in pouring rain to win from a huge breakaway take the overall lead
-
Tadej Pogačar wins the Critérium du Dauphiné as Lenny Martinez bags the final stage at Plateau du Mont-Cenis
Pogačar lays down a Tour de France marker, comfortably resisting a late attack from Jonas Vignegaard to take the overall honours
-
Would Dave Brailsford returning to Ineos Grenadiers be a good idea?
Reportedly on his way out of Manchester United back to a wider role at Ineos Sport, the old Team Sky boss might be back in the world of cycling
-
Geraint Thomas to move into management role at Ineos Grenadiers after retirement - reports
Welshman due to retire at end of 2025 but expected to stay with team
-
'I only found out I was coming to this race yesterday' - Sam Watson claims first WorldTour win in 3.4km Tour de Romandie prologue
Brit wins by just three tenths of a second to take leader's jersey
-
'It can really push me along' - How a velodrome comeback is making Caleb Ewan faster on the road
Australian says he'll "definitely" continue track work after rekindling passion
-
Could Caleb Ewan be Ineos Grenadiers' first Tour de France sprinter since Mark Cavendish? 'That's my goal'
"All I can do is try to win as much as possible and prove that I deserve to be there," says Australian
-
'An unprecedented opportunity for brands to be part of the evolution' - Ineos Grenadiers sponsor hunt steps up with sales agency partnership
Sportfive have been employed to find "non-endemic global partners for the team"
-
'We've all got a little bit extra in us this year' - Ineos Grenadiers recapture 'fighting spirit' with aggressive Paris-Nice display
British team continue to put tumultuous 2024 behind them with momentum and a new found mentality
-
Could a TotalEnergies deal be the end of Ineos Grenadiers as we know them?
Reports suggested this week that Ineos could be close to signing a deal with the French petrochemical firm