Biniam Girmay Wins Stage Eight as Tadej Pogacar Keeps Yellow

Biniam Girmay, riding for Intermarche-Wanty, secured his second victory in the Tour de France on stage eight. Girmay expertly timed his sprint on the uphill finish in Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises, outpacing Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Arnaud de Lie (Lotto-Dstny) on the 183.4km route from Semur-en-Auxois. Meanwhile, Tadej Pogacar, representing UAE Team Emirates, retained the yellow jersey by finishing in the main bunch. He maintained his 33-second lead over Remco Evenepoel in the general classification. Girmay’s victory also extended his lead in the green jersey competition, now 88 points ahead of Philipsen.

The stage took the riders through the historic town of Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises, the final resting place of former French president Charles de Gaulle. Biniam Girmay expressed gratitude to his parents for their support and dedicated his victory to them. He praised the slightly uphill finish, which played to his strengths over the heavier sprinters. In the general classification after stage eight, Tadej Pogacar maintained his lead, with Remco Evenepoel trailing by 33 seconds. Jonas Vingegaard is in third place, 1 minute and 15 seconds behind Pogacar. Jonas Abrahamsen of Uno-X Mobility continues to lead the king of the mountains classification.

As the Tour moves to stage nine, a challenging 199km route around Troyes featuring 14 gravel sections, the general classification contenders are expected to play a more significant role.

Stage Eight Results:
1. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty) – 4hrs 04mins 50secs
2. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) – Same time
3. Arnaud de Lie (Lotto-Dstny) – Same time

General Classification After Stage Eight:
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) – 31hrs 21mins 13secs
2. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step) – +33secs
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) – +1min 15secs