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Biniam Girmay in the green jersey of points classification leader celebrates stage 8 victory at the 2024 Tour de France.

TdF stage 8 report: Biniam Girmay doubles up in uphill sprint

Resplendent in the green jersey, Girmay is the first sprinter to take more than one stage at the 2024 Tour.

Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) wins stage 8 of the 2024 Tour de France. Photo: © Cor Vos

In what was ultimately a fairly simple day for the Tour de France peloton, lone breakaway rider Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) led the race for well over 100 km before the sprinters’ teams brought the bunch to the uphill kick to the line. It was a messy finale, but the terrain was ideally suited to Intermarché-Wanty’s Biniam Girmay who calculated his sprint perfectly to out-punch Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) with half a bike length in hand.

Jonas Abrahamsen, head to toe in the polka dots as mountains classification leader, during his lone breakaway on stage 8 of the 2024 Tour de France.
Abrahamsen tightened his grip on the polka-dot jersey on stage 8, knowing he’s likely to lose it when the race hits the mountains proper.
A textbook road block on the rolling terrain (and demonstration that Wout van Aert, far left, would not be contesting a finish that would typically suit him).

Top 10 on the stage

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GC Top 10 after stage 8

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Quotes of the day:

Voice of the Tour Sebastian Piquet cued up Girmay for the kind of quote you can’t help but love: It was the perfect finish for you with that uphill kick?

Yeah, that’s why I won! … My plan was first to win one stage in the Tour de France and then to wear the jersey to win another to gain more points. Absolutely perfect.”

Girmay said in his winner’s interview.

One of Girmay’s teammates, 26-year-old German puncheur Georg Zimmermann, explained for just how long the young team had been anticipating today’s finale as he celebrated his friend’s second victory.

The first stage win came a little bit as a surprise for all of us because the flat and easy stages don’t usually fit Biniam, but today … already in meetings all the way back in the winter, we discussed this [finish], this is an ideal uphill sprint for Biniam and it’s so sweet when the whole plan pays off. That’s the story of the day.”

Zimmermann told Eurosport after the finish.
Two of Girmay’s teammates, Laurenz Rex and Hugo Page, celebrate their leader’s victory as they make their way up the final few hundred metres.

Brief analysis:

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