Rate it!

6 votes

Spain's Luis Leon Sanchez won stage eight of the Tour de France from Andorre-La-Veille to Saint-Girons in the Pyrenees.

The Caisse d'Epargne rider denied French crowds another home victory after he edged out Sandy Casar (Francaise des Jeux) to seal the 176.5km stage.

Spaniard Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel) came third and Russia's Vladimir Efimkin (Ag2R) fourth after the quartet came home 1min 54secs ahead of the peloton.

Italy's Rinaldo Nocentini (Ag2R) retains the leader's yellow jersey after he finished safely in the pack alongside Astana favourites Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong.

But Britain's Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC) relinquished the green jersey after Norway's Thor Hushovd (Cervelo), winner in rainy Barcelona on Wednesday, picked up maximum points in two of the three intermediate sprints during the undulating Pyrenean stage, which included two testing first category climbs.

Hushovd broke clear of the peloton on the decent of the opening climb, the first category Port d'Envalira, to join a select group of riders - including Australian GC contender Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) and former yellow jersey Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) - rolling almost two minutes ahead.

The presence of Evans in the early breakaway saw Team Astana move to the front of the peloton to monitor the situation and Evans was eventually dropped by the leading group, which by now had been joined by Efimkin, Sanchez and Astarloza.

Casar had ridden much of the first climb alone out in front after making a brave solo attack just moments after the start in Andorra.

The 30-year-old Frenchman took maximum points atop the first two climbs before being caught by the pursing group, which also contained compatriot Christophe Kern (Cofidis).

Kern, who finished second behind Brice Feillu in Friday's exciting summit-finish in Arcalis, picked up enough points on the first climb to ensure he would prize the polka-dot jersey from the shoulders of Feillu before dropping back into the peloton.

The final climb of the day, the first-category Col d'Agnes, saw Sanchez, Astarloza, Casar and Efimkin break clear of the ten-strong leading group. Casar was distanced on three occasions but each time managed to claw his way back despite Efimkin's repeated attempts to go alone.

Further down the mountain, meanwhile, the peloton split after Saxo Bank's Andy Schleck made a dig on the mid section of the 24km climb. The Luxembourg youngster stirred the Astana machine back into action and soon Armstrong and Contador were joined by team-mates Levi Leipheimer, Andreas Kloden and Haimar Zubeldia on the front.

The fierce pace saw yellow jersey Nocentini dropped for most of the climb but stellar pacing from team-mate Stephane Goubert brought the 31-year-old - riding his first ever Tour - back into the fray just as the pack crossed the summit.

With the finish another 40km down in the valley, the quartet's lead of 2min 50secs was not untouchable and the leaders were required to put a strong effort on the long descent to stay out in front.

But given the lack of sprinters in the chasing peloton, it quickly became clear that the four would hold their ground.

Entering the final 5km it was Sanchez, the winner of Paris-Nice earlier in the season, who kept a low profile as Efimkin tried his luck from distance.

The Russian looked to have made the decisive move but both Casar and Astarloza combined well to reel him in before Sanchez, the strongest of the four, stretched his legs in the final 100m and secured the second Tour scalp of his career.

Caisse d'Epargne's Jose Joaquin Rojas led the peloton over the line just under two minutes later on a day that team-mate Oscar Pereiro, winner of the 2006 Tour, withdrew from the race.

Pereiro's absence will mean the 25-year-old Sanchez will become now become team leader. Form should make a top ten finish a realistic prospect for the Spaniard, who now jumps up to 11th in the overall standings, 2'16" off the pace.

Sunday's 160km stage features the first category Col d'Aspin and the brutal ascent up the Col du Tourmalet to La Mongie before another valley finish in Tarbes.

Stage 9 LIVE at 11.30am on Sunday 12th July on British Eurosport (Sky 410 / Virgin Media 521); Also available on your PC via the Eurosport Player - click on the link under the picture to subscribe

Felix Lowe / Eurosport