Tour de France 2025 Stage 8 is built for sprinters. Will Milan or Merlier triumph in Laval? Catch our full stage preview and recap from Mûr-de-Bretagne.
🟨 Tour de France 2025 Stage 8 Preview & Recap – Saint-Méen-le-Grand to Laval
Tour de France 2025 Stage 8
🏁 Stage 7 Recap: Pogacar Strikes Again on the Mûr
The legendary Mûr-de-Bretagne delivered yet again, and Tadej Pogacar was the man to master it. The Slovenian attacked in the final 300 metres of the uphill finish and held off Jonas Vingegaard and Oscar Onley for his second stage win of the 2025 Tour.
More significantly, Pogacar retook the yellow jersey, displacing Mathieu van der Poel, who lost 1:20 after getting dropped before the final ascent.
📊 Top 10 Results – Stage 7
- Tadej Pogacar (SLO)
- Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) s.t.
- Oscar Onley (GBR) +0:02
- Felix Gall (AUT) s.t.
- Matteo Jorgenson (USA) s.t.
- Remco Evenepoel (BEL) s.t.
- Kévin Vauquelin (FRA) s.t.
- Jhonatan Narváez (ECU) +0:07
- Axel Laurance (FRA) +0:15
- Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR) +0:21
GC after Stage 7:
- Tadej Pogacar (SLO)
- Remco Evenepoel (BEL) +0:54
- Kévin Vauquelin (FRA) +1:11
- Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) +1:17
- Mathieu van der Poel (NLD) +1:29
📍 Check our full TDF preview here
🚴♂️ Stage 8 Preview: Saint-Méen-le-Grand to Laval – All Eyes on the Sprinters
Tour de France 2025 Stage 8 is all about speed. The peloton departs from Saint-Méen-le-Grand and races 174.1 kilometres to Laval over terrain tailor-made for a bunch sprint.
While the profile includes 1,700 metres of climbing, the gradients are tame and rarely exceed 3%. The only real bump comes with the Côte de Nuillé-sur-Vicoin (900m at 3.8%), crested with 16.4 km to go — unlikely to trouble the sprinters.
Laval's run-in is clean and straightforward. After a 180-degree roundabout, the road heads dead-straight for 3 km. The final kilometre rises just slightly, setting up a power sprint finish.
Laval last hosted the Tour in 2021, when Tadej Pogacar stormed to a time trial win. This time, it’s the fast men who’ll take centre stage.
🌟 Favourites – Tour de France 2025 Stage 8
- *** Tim Merlier, Jonathan Milan
- ** Dylan Groenewegen, Kaden Groves, Jordi Meeus, Phil Bauhaus
- * Biniam Girmay, Arnaud De Lie, Pascal Ackermann, Søren Wærenskjold
In the first proper bunch sprint on Stage 3, Tim Merlier edged Jonathan Milan in a photo finish. Can Milan turn the tables in Laval, or will Merlier take a second win?
Look out also for Groenewegen, Bauhaus, and Wærenskjold if the wind and positioning open things up.
Top Rated Bookmakers
