40km to go

Loes Adegeest and Maeva Squiban hold 4’33” over the peloton. This is going to be tight in the final. About 20km to the penultimate climb.

Gap continuing to drop and is at 4’39” to Squiban and Adegeest with the peloton working very hard.

Consonni returns to the back of the peloton.

Bike change

Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM)

She had a puncture.

50km to go

The gap drops to under five minutes for the first time in a very long time. The peloton are coming back into the game as the leading duo tire.

In the space of 5km the gap has dropped by about 30″. This is starting to look like it may be starting to be more in favour of the peloton.

The riders have been cycling through a beautiful part of France.

The gap is starting to come down a bit more now. 5’24” is the gap, but it isn’t coming down quickly at all.

The top 3 in the points classification after that:

1. Wiebes (SDW) 164pts
2. Kopecky (SDW) 98pts
3. Le Court (AGS) 89pts

Intermediate sprint (Puget-Théniers)

1. Loes Adegeest (Lidl-Trek) 25pts
2. Maëva Squiban (UAE Team L’IMAD) 20pts
3. Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) 17pts
4. Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime) 15pts
5. Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) 13pts
6. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) 11pts
7. Elena Cecchini (SD Worx-Protime) 10pts
8. Évita Muzic (FDJ United-Suez) 9pts
9. Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal) 8pts
10. Lore de Schepper (AG Insurance-Soudal) 7pts
11. Letizia Borghesi (AG Insurance-Soudal) 6pts
12. Mackenzie Coupland (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) 5pts
13. Nadia Gontova (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) 4pts
14. Juliette Berthet (FDJ United-Suez) 3pts
15. Thalita de Jong (Human Powered Health) 2pts

Meanwhile, Wiebes coasts across the intermediate sprint and takes 17 points.

Squiban was very stressed for some time as the team car was taking a very long time to get up to her. Her car are now trying to calm the French rider down and focus on the race as they have a big chance to take a stage.

UAE Team L’IMAD faced a lot of criticism at the start of the race as Paula Blasi focuses on supporting Elisa Long-Borghini instead of going for GC herself after an amazing season so far. But now, Longo-Borghini, Blasi and Dominika Włodarczyk are all in the top 10 in 4th, 7th and 8th while also having Squiban in the break today, it is going very well for them…

>>> ‘It just became a massive ball of stress’ – Paula Blasi and UAE Team L’IMAD united on Mont Ventoux after challenging week at Tour de France Femmes

Adegeest crossed the line at the intermediate sprint first ahead of Squiban with just under six minutes back to the peloton.

70km to go

AG Insurane-Soudal and Liv-AlUla-Jayco bring up more riders to work on the front along with a couple from FDJ United-SUEZ with the gap at 6’16”.

The gap grows further to 6’20” now.

Squiban is now going to get her team car as they pass the peloton.

The peloton aren’t really closing the gap at the moment.

Squiban taking bidons from the Lidl-Trek and Shimano Neutral Service car as her team car isn’t up there with her, interestingly.

80km to go

The break of Squiban and Adegeest have extended their gap to 6’07” on the peloton with 15km to go until the intermediate sprint.

The riders have crossed the halfway point.

The peloton are upping the pace but they are not closing the gap with much speed. It is holding at 5’50” at the moment with 84km to go.

90km to go

The gap drops to 5’44” thanks to Justine Ghekiere of AG Insurance-Soudal.

It is now a long descent pretty much all the way to the penultimate climb with around 18km to go.

AG Insurance-Soudal and FDJ United-SUEZ rejoin the front of the peloton alongside Liv-AlUla-Jayco with 94km to go. 5’57” up to the break.

QOM (Col de Toutes Aures)

1. Squiban (UAD) 2pts
2. Adegeest (LTK) 1pt

The break are 500 metres from the top of the Col de Toutes Aures.

Liv-AlUla-Jayco doing the work at the front of the peloton with one rider. However, they have Lidl-Trek sat behind her, basically all the riders from that team defending Adegeest’s lead out front.

Before the break even got away it was certain that Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) had won the polka-dot jersey. She needs to finish both stages in the time cut, but she can now focus on stage wins.

Coston caught by the peloton. 6’00” gap up to Adegeest and Squiban.

100km to go

The peloton change the pace and the gap drops by about 15″ very quickly. Coston now only has 15″ gap on the bunch.

Nadia Gontova (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) and Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal) lead the peloton.

The gap to the peloton goes over six minutes.

Now about 10km to the top of the next climb, the Col de Toutes Aures. Cat 4, 6.4km long, 3.1% average.

110km to go

Adegeest and Squiban have 5’00” on Coston with the peloton just 45″ behind.

QOM (Col des Robines)

1. Adegeest (LTK) 2pts
2. Squiban (UAD) 1pt

State of play at the moment…

AG Insurance-Soudal join SD Worx-Protime on the front of the peloton. Perhaps to set up Kim Le Court.

The break now have 3’15” over Coston and 4’15” on the peloton as they start the first climb of the day. The category 4 Col des Robines. The climb is 2.6km long with an average of 4.6%.

SD Worx-Protime take control of the peloton with 117km to go to try and bring some order to racing as they look to set up Lorena Wiebes for a sprint. But, as the climbs beckon, maybe order will only be a temporary situation.

120km to go

Squiban and Adegeest have 2’35” over Coston and 3’05” over the peloton. The average speed is up at 43.5kph so far.

It has been very chaotic in the peloton with several riders trying to get up the road. Multiple teams have tried many times but none are getting a gap.

The gap grows. The break are pushing on with Coston now at 2’15” and the peloton a further 20″ back.

Attack

Morgane Coston (Ma Petite Entreprise)

She is trying to bridge to Squiban and Adegeest. She currently is 1’45” back and just 15″ ahead of the peloton.

It is all going well for Adegeest and Squiban so far.

130km to go

Squiban and Adegeest have 2’05” on the peloton. Just 20km to the top of the first climb of the day. Starting in about 17km time.

Vos is swiftly brought back by the bunch with the gap heading to above 2 minutes.

Attack!

Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike)

The GOAT has taken it upon herself to try and bridge the gap solo. She has 10″ on the peloton.

The gap is fluctuating between 1’30” and 1’45” between the two leaders and the peloton.

Squiban is the best placed rider in the break at 24’48” down on Niewiadoma-Phinney placing her in 21st place. Adegeest is in 60th at 1:15’51”. Neither are any danger whatsoever. The gap now at 1’40”.

140km to go

The gap continues to grow up to 1’35” as Coutinho gets back in after her crash.

The gap to the leaders expands to 1’25” over the peloton. It is looking good!

Squiban and Adegeest look to be pulling away for the moment, but things can change very quickly.

Crash

Alice Coutinho (Mayenne Monbana My Pie)

She is back riding and is just 10″ off the back of the bunch.

Attack!

Maeva Squiban (UAE Team L’IMAD)
Loes Adegeest (Lidl-Trek)

They have 50″ on the peloton.

As did Marlen Reusser (Movistar)…

>>> ‘Really stupid from both of us’ – Marlen Reusser regrets mark-out tactics with Demi Vollering as yellow jersey sails away at Tour de France Femmes

Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) really regretted the way she raced yesterday…

>>> ‘I really should have closed the gap straight away’ – Demi Vollering harbours Mont Ventoux regrets as Niewiadoma-Phinney soars into Tour de France Femmes lead

Nooijen back in the peloton again.

Attack

Lieke Nooijen (Visma-Lease a Bike)

The Dutch national road race champion now goes after her teammate launched earlier. Once again, she only has about 5″ on the bunch with multiple riders closing down or trying to join.

150km to go

All together at the moment with 40km to the top of the first climb of the day. It is basically climbing all the way to the summit from now but officially the Col des Robines is 2.6km long with an average gradient of 4.6%.

Before Hengeveld was caught a rider from EF Education-Oatly jumped across the gap. This basically made the catch happen faster.

Hengeveld caught by the peloton. All together again.

It looks like Hengeveld may be heading back to the peloton again with 8″ now splitting her from the bunch.

Attack

Daniek Hengeveld (Visma-Lease a Bike)

The Dutch time trial champion has a gap of just 12″ over the peloton.

After 10km of racing the peloton is still all together despite a few skirmishes to try and form a break.

A look at Niewiadoma-Phinney’s beautiful yellow Canyon Aeroad CFR…

First look at Niewiadoma-Phinney decked out in yellow. But she hasn’t gone all out just yet.

All together for the moment.

Ma Petite Entreprise launch a rider on the first attack of the day to try and form the early breakaway.

171.9km to go

Racing begins on stage 8 of the Tour de France Femmes 2026!

To get to Nice from Sisteron the organisers could have chosen a brutal day in the Maritime Alps. But, after the finish on Mont Ventoux yesterday and the laps around Col d’Eze tomorrow, they have gone with this ‘flatter’ terrain to give some potential to recover a bit on the bike. That said, with the neutral the riders are going 182km.

The riders are still very much in the neutral zone as they leave Sisteron.

Niewiadoma-Phinney wears yellow but also has the green numbers for most combative rider after her superb performance yesterday on Mont Ventoux.

The riders are all set for the racing today…

Un midi au départ de Le Tour de France Femmes : Nice, on arrive ! 💪
#TDFF2026 🎥 Lisa Guérin

— @teamcofidis.bsky.social (@teamcofidis.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-08-08T11:50:10.332Z

The top three in GC are split by just 39″ with Niewiadoma-Phinney, Vollering and Reusser all looking like they could potentially take the crown tomorrow in Nice.

Read all the analysis from yesterday’s astonishing stage…

>>> Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney reigns as queen of Mont Ventoux, but the Tour de France Femmes crown is still up for grabs – Analysis

Neutral start

The riders roll out for what is a rather long 10.5km neutralised start to the day as they leave Sisteron.

Five minutes until the neutral start.

Make sure to vote in our ‘have your say’ section and comment below who you pick is for the day. It could be one of the most open stages of the whole week.

Temperatures are expected to be in the mid to high 30s today with the current temperature in Sisteron sitting at 33°c.

Breaking news!

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike) will not start today’s stage after feeling unwell over night. The defending champion has had a Tour to forget.

Unfortunately, one rider didn’t make the time cut on Mont Ventoux yesterday. Charlotte Kool (Alpecin-Premier Tech) missed it and is out of the race.

>>> Charlotte Kool leaves the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift after finishing outside the time limit on the punishing stage to Mont Ventoux

Yesterday was a very special day for Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney as the Canyon-SRAM rider moved into yellow for the first time since she was crowned overall winner in 2024. She has two days to go but they aren’t straightforward in the slightest!

>>> ‘A payback for all the second and third places’ – Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney pulls out all the stops to move within reach of second Tour de France Femmes title

Teams have been completing sign on and rider presentation in Sisteron before the start that will come in roughly half an hours time. 13:40 local time is when the neutral start is scheduled.

Starting in Sisteron the route gradually climbs almost constantly for the first 77km with the rest of the day almost entirely being downhill before the final 20km where the climbs come before a mad dash to the line in Nice.

Today is the longest stage of the race with a tough route that takes on four category four climbs along the route with two of them coming in the final 20km. That said, it is expected to be a sprint with Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) saying her team are going all in for her…

>>> Tour de France Femmes 2026 stage 8 preview – Longest stage at 171.9km could end in a mass sprint

Bonjour and welcome to Cyclingnews‘ live updates of stage 8 at the Tour de France Femmes 2026!