Tour de France podcast episode 9: Vuillermoz's triumph, Martin's disappointment
Insights about what to expect from the stage 9 team time trial
Stage 8 saw Alexis Vuillermoz (AG2R-La Mondiale) launch himself off the front of a dwindled peloton on the Mûr-de-Bretagne to take a solo stage victory ahead of a desperate chase from Dan Martin (Cannondale-Garmin) in second. While Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) led the splintered field across the line in third place. Vuillermoz's victory was made even sweeter by the fact that he was the first Frenchman to take a stage win at this year's Tour de France so far.
Tour de France shorts: Van Garderen poised to take yellow during TTT to Plumelec
Tour de France: Vuillermoz wins on the Mûr-de-Bretagne
Tour de France: Bad positioning spoils Dan Martin's chance at victory on Mûr-de-Bretagne
Contador's Tour de France looking up with time gain on Nibali
Nibali endures unexpected off-day Tour de France stage to Mûr de Bretagne
Tour de France: Vuillermoz rises to stardom after stage win on the Mûr-de-Bretagne
Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) finished fourth on the stage, and picked up enough points to move ahead of André Greipel (Lotto Soudal) in the green jersey classification. In the uphill run-in to the finish line, however, small gaps formed that caught out some of the main contenders including Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Andrew Talansky (Cannondale-Garmin).
In our latest podcast, Martin comments on his positioning during the last climb, his disappointment over missing out on the stage win and what to expect for the stage 9 team time trial from Vannes to Plumelec.
Cyclingnews' European editor Barry Ryan and news editor Sadhbh O'Shea discuss Vuillermoz's success, Martin's disappointment and Nibali's time loss. They also discuss overall leader Chris Froome's so-called 'renewed confidence' at the Tour de France this year and provide some insights ahead of Sunday's team time trial.
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