Tour de France, stage 8 preview: More climbs await in the Pyrenees

July 10, 6:35 PMCycling ExaminerJames Raia

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ANDORRA LA VIELLE — There's little rest in Tour de France mountains stages, and they'll be even a shorter rest than normal  Saturday.

After completing the seventh annd longest sage of the race (224 kilometers), Arcalis was the first “hors categorie” (beyond category) summit and the longest day the race, overall race contenders will likely move to the front again in stage 8. The first climb of the day begins will shortly after riders have begun to stretch their legs.

The 176.5-kilometer (109.6 mile) journey will take the remaining 176 riders from the center of the Andorra-la-Vielle to Saint-Girons.

The stage has only three climbs, but the first effort is a category 1 challenge. It's a 24-kilometer climb (five percent grade) to Port d'Envalira, elevation 2,408 meters or 7,900 feet.

The second category 1 is the Col d'Agnes and it will occur after about 80 miles of racing. It's an eight-mile terror with an average 6.5 percent grade. Between category 1 ascents, there's the category 2 Col de Port.

The small finish city of St. Girons (population 6,500) has never hosted a Tour de France stage finish, although the village is often in the path of the race when it yearly visits the Pyrenees.

The first climb of the stage also holds a unique moment of Tour de of France history.

Jacques Anquetil, the flamboyant five-time race winner, was suffering from stomach sickness in a stage that advanced to the d'Envalira climb in 1964. He lost four minutes to his chief rivals at the top of the climb and could have easily lost what was then a pending record fifth title.

With two teammates, Anquetil successful chased back to the leaders, but it took two hours.