Tour De France 2015: Stage 8 Route, Live Stream and TV Coverage

The 2015 Tour de France will pass over the beautiful, winding roads of Brittany on Saturday, as Stage 8 will be a hilly affair, ending with a steep finale at Mur de Bretagne. NBC Sports and ITV4 will carry full coverage and provide live streams for this stage, the last one before the team time trial on Saturday and rest day in Pau on Sunday.

Chris Froome leads the general classification once again and likely won't lose his top spot on Saturday, although Team Sky wouldn't mind giving up the yellow to a rider who manages to win from an early break. The high mountains are nearly upon us, and that's when the battle for the general classification will really begin.

Stage 8: Rennes-Mur de Bretagne, 181.5 KM

Date: Saturday July 11

Profile: Hills

TV Info: NBC Sports (U.S.), ITV4 (UK)

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.), ITV Player (UK)

For a look at the Stage 8 route and others throughout the competition, check out the Guardian’s interactive guide.

Standings

Pos	Rider	Time
1	Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky	26:40:51
2	Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo	0:00:11
3	Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team	0:00:13
4	Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto-Soudal	0:00:26
5	Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team	0:00:28
6	Rigoberto Uran (Col) Etixx-Quick Step	0:00:34
7	Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo	0:00:36
8	Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx-Quick Step	0:00:52
9	Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky	0:01:03
10	Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Giant-Alpecin	0:01:07

Pos	Rider	Points
1	Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto Soudal	199
2	Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo	187
3	Mark Cavendish (GBr) Etixx - Quick-Step	151
4	John Degenkolb (Ger) Team Giant-Alpecin	148
5	Bryan Coquard (Fra) Team Europcar	96
6	Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx - Quick-Step	63
7	Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team	58
8	Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Team Katusha	50
9	Perrig Quemeneur (Fra) Team Europcar	46
10	Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) MTN - Qhubeka	45

Pos	Rider	Points
1	Daniel Teklehaimanot (Eri) MTN - Qhubeka	4
2	Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha	2
3	Michael Schar (Swi) BMC Racing Team	1
4	Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo	1
5	Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Lotto Soudal	1
6	Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky	1

Preview

Laurent Cipriani/Associated Press

Stage 8 presents the lesser-known riders with the perfect opportunity to go on a long, early break that might end in a stage win at Mur de Bretagne. It's the kind of stage where the peloton likes to take it easy, particularly with a team time trial on the schedule for Sunday.

The climb at Mur de Bretagne is less steep but longer than the Mur de Huy, dead straight for the first kilometre and horribly exposed. Puncheurs will love this type of climb, but it's not nearly long or hard enough to make a real difference in the general classification.

That's not to say the favourites for the yellow won't be looking to make a statement during the final climb―in fact, Greg LeMond thinks it's likely to happen, via Cycling News:

"

I think I raced this finish once in a criterium. I can see this being a finish for someone like Sagan. The roads in Brittany are lumpy but you shouldn’t really get caught out unless the weather is doing something crazy. The favourites will be up there, and there’ll no doubt be a dozen crashes before the bottom of that final climb…but I can’t see it having a major impact on the general classification. The hill itself should suit Contador and Froome; they’re both pretty explosive. I’m also glad that time bonuses have been brought back for stages like this.

"

LeMond highlights Peter Sagan as a potential winner, but while the Slovak is versatile enough to find success in most stages that resemble Classics, the final climb may just be a tad too long for him. He's also been quite busy during the first week, per The Bike Lane's Matt Keenan, and could use a break from the front of the pack:

Of the favourites for the yellow jersey, Chris Froome should like this finish the most. The Brit may struggle matching Alberto Contador and Nairo Quintana on the steeper climbs, but in terms of pure power, he's the better rider.

He's settled in nicely during the first week of the Tour and has already taken a lead over his rivals―although he refused to put on the yellow on Friday out of respect for Tony Martin, who lost the top spot in the standings due to a crash. Via bet365, Froome said:

Froome's lead further complicates this stage, as Quintana and Vincenzo Nibali have to find a way to make up ground. The team time trial might do the trick, but both would love to start Sunday's stage within striking distance of Froome.

Still, don't be shocked if this battle plays out in the background. The local riders will be attacking from the peloton all day, and there's a very good chance one of those breaks lasts until the finish line.

Follow @ReverschPass