[Sport] Richard Carapaz climbs to sixth position in the Tour de France after stage 8; Tadej Pogacar gives a coup of authority

[#Steeven.™]

The race faced the first of the two alpine days this Saturday, with an 8th stage that ended at the Grand Bornand ski resort.

With a stroke of authority in the high mountains, the defending champion Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) took over the leadership of the Tour de France this Saturday, on stage 8, a day in which the Belgian Dylan Teuns ( Bahrain Victorious) and Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) climbed to sixth place in the race.

The rider from Carche, who encouraged the competition by stages and had to respond to Pogacar's attack, was 13th this day with a difference of +4 minutes 9 seconds compared to the winner (3 hours 54 minutes 41 seconds). The tricolor was +5 min 1 s from the Slovenian stellar in the general classification.

This day the Tour faced the first of the two Alpine days, with an 8th stage that ended in the Grand Bornand ski resort, after starting from Oyonnax and climbing five passes in 150.8 kilometers of route.

The Bahraini cyclist, who won La Planche des Belles Filles in 2019, was part of the day's getaway to Le Grand Bornand and managed to survive the push of a Pogacar that attacked 33 kilometers to the finish, with two ports to go. ahead, and widely distanced all his rivals in the midst of a copious rain.

The Spanish Jon Izaguirre was second in the stage, ahead of the Slovenian, who gave a blow that could be definitive in the general classification.

The 22-year-old cyclist, winner of the last edition, attacked on the climb to Col de Romme and only the tricolor Carapaz was able to follow him at first, although the UAE cyclist's pace was too high and he ended up leaving him.

Pogacar was ahead of all the survivors of the escape, until at the top of the Colombiere, the last mountainous difficulty 14 kilometers from the finish, only Teuns remained ahead.

He overtook the Carapaz group by 3.20, which also included the Spanish Enric Mas, the Colombian Rigoberto Urán and the Danish Jonas Vingegaard, and by 5.09 the Belgian Wout van Aert, who kept second place in the general with a disadvantage of 1.48 with compared to the Slovenian.

Third is Kazakh Alexei Lutsenko at 4.38, ahead of Uran at 4.46, Vingegaard at 5.00 and Carapaz at 5.01, while Mas is now eighth at 5.15.

The hitherto leader, the Dutch Mathieu van der Poel, could not keep up with the best in the Alpine passes and for many minutes, like the Slovenian Primoz Roglic, second from last year, and the British Geraint Thomas.