Tour de France stage eight preview

Stage eight of the Tour de France 2022 starts in Dole and finishes in Lausanne.

Even though the stage passes through the heart of the Jura massif to reach the Swiss city of Lausanne, the peloton’s yellow jersey contenders and climbers will have to wait another 24 hours before a major mountain test. Instead, it appears this is another opportunity for the break to take a stage win.

Tour de France stage eight: expected timings

Tour de France stage eight route

From the Jura foothills the route climbs to the resort of Les Rousses, where Frenchman Lilian Calmejane was the stage victor in 2017, then travels along a plateau into neighbouring Switzerland. 

There’s a steady drop to the shore of Lake Geneva in Lausanne, then an intriguing climb to the finish next to the Olympic stadium. Extending to almost 5km, the most challenging section is the penultimate kilometre, which averages 9.5%. Beyond it, the last 800 metres keep dragging up to the line.

Useful Tour de France 2022 resources

• Tour de France 2022 route
• Tour de France 2022 standings
• Tour de France 2022 start list
• Tour de France 2022 key stages
• How to watch the 2022 Tour de France
• Past winners of the Tour de France
• Tour de France leader's jerseys
• Tour de France winning bikes

Tour de France stage eight: what to expect 

This looks like another good opportunity for a breakaway to go the distance, although there are sure to be some teams that will want to keep the escapees within reach in order to set up their puncheurs for the challenging finale. It will be interesting to see how the GC teams respond in this contest. Some may be keen to assist the peloton’s pursuit if they sense there’s a chance to grab a stage win and some useful bonus seconds.

Tour de France stage eight: riders to watch

This is another enticing stage for riders who thrive in the hilly Classics, and particularly those who can deliver a sharp turn of finishing speed after a short but intense climb. Veteran Philippe Gilbert might like the look of this, while Bahrain’s Dylan Teuns has this season established himself as a force to be reckoned with on uphill finishes. Michael Matthews could be a threat if the peloton makes it to the finish en masse.