Alaphilippe drops out of the top 10, while Gaviria got relegated after finishing third.
Stage 8 of the Tour de France ended in frustration for Quick-Step Floors, despite our team being one of the favourites for victory and riding accordingly, with Tim "El Tractor" Declercq taking the reins in the peloton early and setting the pace behind the three-man breakaway which was reeled in inside the final ten kilometers.
The stage was quiet until with 20 kilometers to go, when a crash brought down several riders, including Julian Alaphilippe. The Flèche Wallonne winner remounted and began chasing the bunch as part of a group that was involved in that incident, but couldn't rejoin the bunch, whoch was speeding on the streets of Amiens, a stage finish at the race for the 11th time in history, and lost his position in the top 10 overall.
A hectic sprint unfolded inside the last kilometer, with Fernando Gaviria finishing third only to be relegated by the race jury and placed last in the group following an incident with Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal), which sports director Tom Steels commented after the stage: "The sprint was very nervous, because it was the last opportunity for the fast men until next Sunday and many wanted the win. The huge pressure that is on the sprinters in this race can cause incidents, like the ones we saw today. Nevertheless, we remain motivated for the next stages and keen on fighting for other good results. The Tour is far from being over."
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele/ Getty Images
