Vuillermoz takes 8th stage, Froome keeps yellow jersey

“That was a tough climb, but my team-mates did a great job in bringing me to the front, I was in the best position”, said Froome, who once he realised Vuillermoz was gone focused on controlling his rivals.

“You need five riders to get up that final climb together. Hopefully we’ll be up there with the bests”.

“It’s a very tricky team time-trial given it’s very undulating”.

“Actually we were just talking about the crashes when five of us fell”, said Contador, who escaped uninjured.

I have a big thought for my dad. “I didn’t really think today there would be some big differences, it’s more about staying at the head of affairs”.

While Cavendish, who crashed out of the first stage in last year’s race with a separated shoulder, ended his two-year wait for a stage win, Sagan’s own drought goes on.

Italian Vincenzo Nibali admitted that he was “not super” today in the Tour de France – but his team insist that he has mental qualities to successfully defend his title.

Reigning champion Vincenzo Nibali said he had “no legs” on the final climb to the finish of Saturday’s eighth stage of the Tour de France.

Chris Froome finished eighth in the same group to maintain his overall lead by 11 seconds from Sagan, while American Tejay Van Garderen is third at 13 seconds.

His Etixx-QuickStep squad floundered in the finishing straight last Sunday in Zeeland and on Wednesday in Amiens the Manxman was third, conceding he simply was not fast enough. “It wasn’t long ago, it was just in the Dauphiné where we were battling it out for the leader’s jersey there”. “It’s incredible to see them come out and support the riders”. The same also applies to his BMC Racing Team, which has been riding with real goal.

The race ends on the landmark Champs-Elysees on July 26, with hundreds of thousands of fans expected to pack the route.

Ireland’s Sam Bennett turned around a hard opening week at his debut Tour de France with a fine 10th place finish on yesterday’s seventh stage.

Luca Paolini did not start the stage after being suspended by his Katusha team after testing positive for cocaine on the fourth stage of the race earlier this week. He’s the one who gave me this passion for the Tour de France.

“It was the start we were dreaming about but it’s not over, far form over – but we had a good first week”.

Cocaine is among a class of stimulants whose use is banned only in competition. Paolini can ask that a second sample be tested.

“They could have saved themselves for other days but they didn’t and went full gas for the win”.

Tony Martin would have been the yellow jersey wearer for Friday’s stage seven but he crashed in the finale of Thursday’s sixth stage, breaking his collarbone and forcing him to abandon the race.

Thomas De Gendt and Lotto-Soudal led the chase, and an eventual counterattack would see 17 riders join up with the leading four.

But this time Cavendish burst through some 50 meters from the line to deny Greipel a third stage win on this years race.

The mostly flat 181.5-kilometer (112.5-mile) ride started in Rennes and finished with a short and sharp 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) climb up Mur de Bretagne.