The eighth stage of the 2024 Tour de France will see riders facing constant ups and downs While it’s not classified as a mid-mountain stage the route from Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises includes five categorized climbs and at least as many uncategorized ones This terrain is ideal for breakaway attempts providing a perfect opportunity for escape artists to make their move The eighth stage of the Tour de France heads north they face three categorized climbs: Côte de Vitteaux (2 kilometers at 7.3%) Côte de Villy-en-Auxois (2.4 kilometers at 5.5%) and Côte de Verrey-sous-Salmaise (2.9 kilometers at 5.1%) The route continues to the intermediate sprint in Lamargelle at kilometer 59 Although the next categorized climb is about 40 kilometers away With the Côte de Santenoge (1.1 kilometers at 8.1%) and the Côte de Giey-sur-Aujon (1.2 kilometers at 8.4%) the riders will have completed most of the climbs The most challenging section is the uncategorized Côte de Eufigneix less than 15 kilometers before the finish in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises Will the sprinter teams or the breakaway group win the stage This question looms large on flat and hilly stages of the Tour de France as two sprinter teams alone can muster 10 to 14 helpers Many riders are already fatigued or nursing injuries and are eagerly anticipating the rest day The outcome will hinge on the size and makeup of the breakaway group determining whether we’ll see a Royal Sprint finish or a successful escape by a breakaway rider Mathieu van der Poel’s Canyon Aeroad CFR: The Bike Behind His Spring Classic Wins Mathieu van der Poels Cyclocross Calendar 2024/2025 Season Review 2024: Great Success of Team Alpecin-Deceuninck Eritrea's Biniam Girmay crosses the finish line to win the eighth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 183.4 kilometers (114 miles) with start in Semur-en-Auxois and finish in Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises France — Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay won a second stage at the Tour de France on Saturday when he edged a closing sprint to cement his status as the race's fastest man Two-time Tour champion Tadej Pogacar kept the yellow jersey who became the first Black rider to win a Tour stage this week timed his effort perfectly at the end of the long stretch of road leading to the finish of Stage 8 and winning a second stage while wearing the green jersey even more so," Girmay said The tough false flat finish suited his style and he made the most of it to beat Jasper Philipsen and Arnaud De Lie extending his lead at the top of the rankings for the best sprinter's green jersey photos and videos about your favorite New York teams in your inbox every morning By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy "Today’s finish was perfect for me and I was super confident," Girmay said the Tour de France being one of the hardest races in the world once you win a stage you become aware that you are amongst the very best and that spurs you on." The stage finished in Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises the home and final resting place of the late Charles de Gaulle The former French President launched the French Resistance from a base in London and along with the Allies liberated France from the Nazis in 1944 wearing the best climber's dotted jersey rides breakaway during the eighth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 183.4 kilometers (114 miles) with start in Semur-en-Auxois and finish in Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises There was no major change in the general classification Pogacar kept a 33-second lead over Remco Evenepoel and two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard was in third place The stage started with a high-octane pace as three riders — Neilson Powless Jonas Abrahamsen — immediately jumped out of the peloton to open a 30-second gap at the front EF Education-EasyPost riders later attacked from the main pack on hilly wet roads and a group including Mark Cavendish got dropped Chasing points in the best climber’s classification Abrahamsen went solo to the top of the Cote de Vitteaux and added more points on the slopes of the Cote de Verrey-sous-Salmaise and the following hills to further cement his polka dot jersey The pack rides during the eighth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 183.4 kilometers (114 miles) with start in Semur-en-Auxois and finish in Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises Cavendish later merged with the yellow jersey group while Bissegger and Powless sat up Abrahamsen kept pushing hard on the pedals to increase his lead The pace of the peloton picked up in the second half of the stage and Abrahamsen’s long solo effort was brought to an end by the chase about 15 kilometers (nine miles) from the finish before sprinters took center stage There's a tough stage on Sunday that takes the riders on a nearly 200-kilometre (124-mile) trek through the dust of the gravel roads near the Champagne city of Troyes There will be 14 sections of so-called white roads — including six in the stage finale — that have become a trademark of Italy’s Strade Bianche Girmay also made history in Italy two years ago when he won a stage at the Giro d’Italia to become the first Black African to take a victory in a Grand Tour But Girmay’s Giro victory was marred when he was rushed to a hospital after getting hit in the left eye by a prosecco cork he popped open during the podium celebration — forcing him to abandon the race Girmay became the first rider from a sub-Saharan country to win a single-day classic at the Gent-Wevelgem race Riders from only one other African country — South Africa — have won Tour stages: Robert Hunter (2007) and Daryl Impey (2019) Four-time Tour champion Chris Froome was born and raised in Kenya but represented Britain The Newsday app makes it easier to access content without having to log in Unlimited Digital AccessOnly 25¢for 6 months Discover how Paris 2024 became the most media-covered Olympic Games in history See how the Olympic Games’ communications team 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communication thanks to a collaborative platform for you and your team Certify your corporate communication thanks to our blockchain-backed technology Save your team and yourself some precious time Learn more about Wiztrust in our case study De Plus bunny hops onto grass as narrow chicane causes chaos and they're first and second in the General Classification standings heading into the more traditional Stage 8 on Saturday Evenepoel, the time-trial world champion, had the opportunity to pick up more than just 12 seconds on Pogacar, but a possible mechanical issue during the 25.3-kilometer run momentarily diverted his attention.  Heading into Saturday's 183.4-kilometer Stage 8 Pogacar leads Evenepoel by 33 seconds in the GC while two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard is 1 minute Here’s what to know about Stage 8 of the Tour de France: In Canada, the Tour de France is streaming live on FloBikes and the FloSports app. the NBC family of networks and the streaming service Peacock are broadcasting the race.  FloBikes and the FloSports app are home to race highlights stage breakdowns and more breaking news.  Stage 8 of the Tour de France is a flat 183.4 kilometers from Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises It does include a handful of short Category 3 and Category 4 climbs.  as there will be potential for attacks from the lower ranks to help shake things up This will be the TDF's second visit to Semur-en-Auxois (2007) while Colombey-les-Deux-Églises is playing host for the first time.  Belgium's Tom Boonen won the 199.5-kilometer journey to Bourg-en-Bresse ahead of Spain's Oscar Freire.  The 2007 TDF was won by Spain's Alberto Contador for the first of his two Tour de France victories He is one of seven riders in history to win all three Grand Tours (TDF Stage 8 of the Tour de France is 183.5 kilometers Here is what the elevation looks like for Stage 8:  Mads Pedersen won Stage 8 of the 2023 Tour de France Here is the map for this year's Tour de France: A live broadcast of the 2024 Tour de France will be available on Peacock for those watching from the United States.  Peacock is the exclusive home of the event in the United States through 2029 with start-to-finish coverage of every stage FloBikes will provide a live broadcast for Canadian audiences Viewers in Canada will be able to watch all 21 stages of the Tour de France 2024 live on FloBikes and the FloSports app FloBikes also will provide updates highlights and behind-the-scenes coverage throughout the entire event for all Flo subscribers.  The Tour de France will be on the NBC network and will stream daily in the United States on Peacock The entire race will be broadcast on NBC's channels and USA Network.  There will be 22 teams and up to 176 competitors in this year’s Tour de France: the cyclists start together to complete the stage of a race Every stage varies in distance and physical demand.  Here is the complete schedule for the 2024 Tour de France FloBikes is the streaming home to some of the best cycling from across the globe. Check out the broadcast schedule to watch more of your favorites in action. Video footage from each event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloBikes subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions Get the most important Cycling stories delivered straight to your inbox 2024: Semur-en-Auxois - Colombey-les-Deux-Églises 183.4km route will demand full concentration Stage 8 could be another day for the sprinters with no major climbs in the second half of the stage But with 2,400 metres of elevation coming from constant short climbs and descents over 183.4km route from Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises The first two-thirds of stage 8 will feature five categorised climbs Côte de Santenoge and Côte de Giey-sur-Aujon The relentless ups and downs may put a strain on the legs at the point when the sprinters’ teammates are starting to think about setting up a bunch finish But the last three kilometres of the final straight could be the ideal place to bring the peloton back together After pouring all of their physical efforts into the first individual time trial on stage 7 stage 8 will be an exercise in concentration There are pitfalls galore that could take a Tour de France GC favourite out of contention The forecast calls for rain in the morning with road spray making it harder to see obstacles and making turns slippery There is also a possibility for crosswinds along the south-north route so teams will have to keep their leaders in a good position One moment's inattention can make even the dullest stage more exciting than anyone wants. Find out how to watch stage 8 of the Tour de France she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track Laura has a passion for all three disciplines When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads UCI governance and performing data analysis First stage highlights contribution to the sport by legendary Italian cyclists such as Gino Bartali and Marco Pantani The Tuscan capital of Florence is no stranger to tourists but they are usually more interested in frescoes and Michelangelo than yellow jerseys and Tadej Pogačar On Saturday, however, an estimated 800,000 cycling fans are expected to gather in the city for the Grand Départ of the Tour de France the first time Italy has hosted the start of the world’s most famous cycle race in its 121-year history For local authorities in Tuscany and Emilia Romagna it is a fitting way of showcasing a part of Italy that has produced some of the country’s most legendary cyclists the only woman to have participated in the men’s Giro d’Italia in 1924 For Gioia Bartali, however, the first stage brings particular poignancy. Her grandfather, Gino Bartali, was a two-time Tour de France winner who was discovered posthumously to have saved the lives of hundreds of Italian Jews during the second world war “They belong to an historical era of cycling that practically doesn’t exist any more … they are cyclists who truly wrote pages of history and who brought prestige to Italy throughout the world.” On Saturday, after setting off from Piazza della Signoria and parading through the centre of Florence before the race’s official start, the Tour peloton will pass in front of the Gino Bartali museum in Ponte a Ema, where the champion was born. Read moreIt is not far from the home of Cinzia Otri an ice-cream maker who has created a special flavour dedicated to the Tour de France which is being served at her Gelateria della Passera in the Santo Spirito area of Florence she said the yellow ice-cream with a dash of purple is a tribute to both the yellow jersey of the Tour winner and the colours that represent Florence She said: “We have always felt very affectionate towards our champion and wanted to dedicate an ice-cream to him … but we are also very proud to be hosting the start of the race who also won the Giro d’Italia three times clinched his first Tour de France victory in 1938 and again exactly a decade later But it was not until after his death in 2000 that his family learned that during the war he had used his bike to courier counterfeit identity documents to Jews hiding out in towns and cities in Tuscany and neighbouring regions “He hid an entire family in the cellar next to their home He needed to preserve lives so did not tell anyone He would go out on his bike early in the morning and would tell my grandmother he was training But even later in life … he used to say: ‘Good [deeds] are done speak of the challenges of performing in major races “There was none of the kind of assistance there is today,” said Bartali “The roads were of poor quality and there were moments when they didn’t even get a drop of water.” who during the 1937 Tour de France fell from a bridge into a river “As he knew that could be the end of his racing,” she said This year’s race officially departs at midday on Saturday from Viola Park Fiorentina FC’s sparkling sports hub inaugurated last year with the first stage taking the peleton eastwards to the coastal resort town of Rimini The factory produces leather handbags for French luxury brands France — In a factory on the edge of the medieval town of Semur-en-Auxois French isn't the only language being spoken these days the sounds of Russian and Ukrainian can be heard as well The factory has been turning out leather handbags for French luxury brands since the 1970s Maroquinerie Thomas' CEO Thierry Thomas says he's hired about 25 Ukrainians this year "I hired the first five and then more started coming," he says He offers the Ukrainians long-term contracts without having to go through a trial period "so they can open bank accounts and rent apartments," he says Alexander Dubitsky arrived from Kharkiv at the end of August Europe is being transformed by the war in Ukraine Even places far from the conflict are feeling the effects France has taken in more than 100,000 Ukrainian refugees They have the right to stay and work and receive a small monthly stipend Ukrainian children are learning in French schools all over the country and many French families are hosting Ukrainian families Thirty-three-year-old Alexander Dubitsky is working on a row of handbag handles "It's not a question of rebuilding after the destruction in Ukraine Russia will collect its forces and attack us again three or four years later Oksana Zoubko is touching up bag straps with black paint She was a baker in Kharkiv and says she loves working with her hands again "It's a wonderful place to work," she says "A very wholesome atmosphere and our French colleagues are welcoming." Zoubko says she'd like to go back to Ukraine French colleagues Ines Chapovaloff and Maud Duvignacq say they feel lucky to share their savoir-faire and learn from the Ukrainians They praise the Ukrainians' courage and ability to show up for work with a smile despite worries about the war back home tamps down some stitching with a small hammer She was one of the first Ukrainians hired here last March and is from Vovchansk right along the Russian border outside Kharkiv The factory is "a wonderful place to work," says Oksana Zoubko (right) sitting with her colleagues Ines Chapovaloff (center) and Maud Duvignacq (left) Thomas has such faith in Bila that he let her supervise a small crew of Ukrainians when their French coworkers all left for their August vacations "All these French workers could go on vacation together She says other things have surprised her in France I've gotten back into the habit of checking my mailbox again!" Bila recently had to return to Ukraine to bury her mother who had gone to the hospital when her town was under Russian occupation — but there were no doctors her mother was finally diagnosed with a ruptured appendix Several of her family members and friends have also come to France Bila has rented a newly renovated apartment in the center of the cobblestone town The Christmas lights from the village square light up her living room Several of Bila's friends and family members are also in Semur-en-Auxois and they often gather for meals at her long kitchen table she's hung a Ukrainian flag she brought with her — it was part of a celebration of Ukraine's Maidan revolution back in 2014 Her brother Timur Romanchuk and his wife and daughter arrived in Semur-en-Auxois in June The family had a farm and stayed as long as they could to protect it and the expensive breed of goats whose milk they used to make cheese They kept hoping they wouldn't lose their farm Romanchuk says he thought he could stay under the Russian occupation But when the Kremlin orchestrated referendums to annex Ukrainian territory this summer "Because I knew we'd all be forced to take Russian passports," he says That's when they decided to abandon the farm When asked if there are any circumstances under which they could live normally in Vovchansk "If there was a big garden in the place of Russia," Bila says There was also Stalin and there's always something Is there anybody with a conscience in Russia to wake up and change and be different?" The Ukrainians take French lessons every week at the factory and he followed them to France in September "My children study in a French school," he says "My son plays football and another son plays guitar and music in the school." This year wasn't the first time Pryputniev has had to flee to a new place he arrived in Kharkiv from his home in Luhansk after fighting there between Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces He had always thought he would spend the rest of his days in Luhansk "I thought I'd collect my pension there," he says "Sometimes when I drive the car back home after work Pryputniev takes his French lessons seriously Be one of the first to try our new activity feed A difficult day constantly in and out of the saddle Sore legs from the previous day’s time trial will be tested on stage 8 from Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-Les-Deux-Églises There are five categorized climbs but many more hills that aren’t given official designation In all there will be an elevation gain of 2,300 meters The first three climbs are located inside the opening 40km with the Côte de Vitteaux (2km at 7.3 percent) Côte de Villy-en-Auxois (2.4km at 5.5 percent) and the Côte de Verrey-sous-Salmaise (2.9km at 6 percent) almost certain to cause an early breakaway move A long section of undulating terrain takes the riders to the next categorized climb This is 1.1km at 8.1 percent and tops out about 85km from the finish line The Côte de Giey-sur-Aujon (1.2km at 8.4 percent) follows with further undulating roads taking the riders from there to the finish in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises The view of Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme: “Although no altitude records will be broken the first two-thirds of this stage does feature five categorized climbs The relentless ups and downs may put a strain on the legs at the point when the sprinters’ teammates are starting to think about setting up a bunch finish “But the last three kilometers of the final straight could be the ideal place to bring the peloton back together.” Arnaud De Lie third in uphill sprint into Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises as the Eritrean rider won the bunch kick from Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceununck) in second with Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dstny) in third Girmay sat in the wheels of an early attack by Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) having seemed boxed in on the shallow rise to the finishing straight Philipsen seemed to sprint through both Girmay and Coquard in the final few hundred metres but a resurgence from Girmay saw him surge back to cinch the victory just ahead of the Belgian The overall stage was an unexpectedly orderly one for the sprinters with a sole breakaway from polka dot jersey wearer Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) pulled in with 5km remaining Girmay has already made history at the Tour de France as the first Black African to claim a stage when he sprinted to victory on stage 3 only days before Mark Cavendish (Astana-Qazaqstan) broke the all-time record of stage wins “Thank God for everything,” a euphoric Girmay said immediately after the stage finish “I think this victory I need to give to my mother They gave me all the support to become a cyclist I just want to say thank you very much to my family Girmay argued that the slight undulations in the final kilometres played to his favour “I prefer this kind of sprint because if it's really flat the other guys are bigger than me and heavier so they can push more watts “The team put me in the perfect place They have me a good lead out; I just felt super good,” he continued Speaking about the specifics of the finish “It was a really fast downhill and then slightly up So I already feel the legs even all downhill.”  With several significant efforts behind the sprinters Girmay felt confident that his fatigue was less than his faster rivals And then I knew – I think now it's going to be my day because everybody was already stretched out in one line.” there was extra jubilation as he won wearing the green jersey “My plan was first to win one stage in the Tour de France and then to wear the jersey to win another to gain more points Girmay sits at the top of the green jersey points competition with 2§16 points a full 88 points clear of second-place Philipsen with all signs pointing to him as a favourite to keep hold of it The peloton set off below a dreary grey sky in Semur-en-Auxois as torrential rain hammered down on the sign-on ceremony the wet conditions softened to purely grey and dry as the peloton began to wind on its course north to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises An attack burst out of the blocks from polka dot jersey wearer Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) and he was soon joined by EF Education-EasyPost teammates Stefan Bissegger and Neilson Powless Given the anticipated showdown between breakaway and sprint teams on the lumpy stage 8 it was a surprise there was little or no response in the peloton and the three riders soon established themselves as the early breakaway of the day Abrahamsen was heard telling Powless of his hopes of a larger group but aside from a brief and unsuccessful pursuit from Quentin Pacher of Groupama-FDJ the three were left undisturbed into the day’s first climb The category three Côte de Vitteaux came around 20km into racing and the small breakaway had a two-minute gap on a lackadaisical peloton on the second ascent of the day - Côte de Villy-en-Auxois - Abrahamsen moved clear of the EF duo who soon sat up to drift back to the peloton but seemingly up to the challenge as he swept up both KOM and sprint points - competitions he sits first and second in Abrahamsen battled hard over the next 80km managing to pull out a gap of over six minutes and he held more than four minutes over the peloton as the 50km approached Within the peloton Lotto-Dstny were conspicuous at the front seemingly favouring their sprinter Arnaud Di Lie for stage victory However as the stage wore on Alpecin-Deceuninck began to work for Jasper Philipsen as did Intermarché-Wanty for Biniam Girmay and Cofidis for Bryan Coquard The peloton began to cut into Abrahamsen’s lead as the Uno-X rider approached the 25km mark cutting it down from four minutes to barely over one Heavy rainfall opened on the race once again the uncategorised undulations of the day’ course saw not only Abrahamsen pulled back to within a minute but many riders shed from the back of the peloton notable amongst them were Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla) and Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) the gap to the sole breakaway rider was only 30 seconds and the catch seemed imminent as the sprint teams began to coordinate their efforts for the battle of the lead-out trains The final climb just within 15km was enough to call time on the day’s admirable breakaway Intermarché-Wanty and Lotto-Dstny all mobilising at the front of the race as were EF Education-Easypost - confident that the undulations of the final 10km could favour Marijn van den Berg Aside from Fabio Jakobsen (dsm–firmenich PostNL) the terrain and persistent headwind weren’t enough to remove the major fast men from contention as the peloton rolled below the Flamme Rouge and mass sprint began Results powered by FirstCycling overseeing editorial output across all of Cyclingnews' digital touchpoints Peter was the digital editor of Rouleur magazine Starting life as a freelance feature writer with bylines in The Times and The Telegraph he first entered cycling journalism in 2012 Peter has a background as an international rower representing Great Britain at Under-23 level and at the Junior Rowing World Championships Please note that this is an automated translation and it will not be perfect All articles have been written in English and if anything appears to not make sense In today's episode: a couple of important French figures linked by today's start and finish towns De Gaulle delivering his "Appeal of June 18" address to the French people Your request appears similar to malicious requests sent by robots Please make sure JavaScript is enabled and then try loading this page again. If you continue to be blocked, please send an email to secruxurity@sizetedistrict.cVmwom with: The list of 14 villages in the running to be considered France's Favourite Village (le village préféré des Français) for 2025 has been revealed asks the public to vote for their favourite on the shortlist The winner will be announced when the show of the same name The village shortlist selects one village for each region of mainland France and one to represent the French overseas territories the full list of 14 shortlisted villages for 2025 is:  A medieval village built on the River Armançon Located on the River Oust and the Nantes-Brest canal A historical village with an abbey that was previously the site of a Benedictine monastery An island village with expansive views over the Gulf of Liscia A prized traditional village close to both the German and Luxembourg borders historical village with its own abbey ruins this village has its own historical church and castles The representative for the overseas territories in this year’s list pastel-painted houses (and an imposing green A hotspot for outdoor activities including hiking Clécy and its surrounding area was given the title of ‘The Capital of Suisse Normande (Swiss Normandy)’ in 1932 by the then-tourism minister A medieval-era village located on the banks of the Dordogne river This historical village is also known to be the birthplace of Charles de Batz de Castelmore d'Artagnan whose life was fictionalised in Alexandre Dumas’ book The Three Musketeers Favoured for its location in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Loire Valley this village is also close to the Loire Anjou Touraine French regional natural park A village on the route between Menton in France and the Colle di Tenda in Italy Used to be part of the former County of Nice Voting is open on the France Télévisions website until March 7.  click on your favourite village and confirm then enter your e-mail address to submit your choice From medieval gems to winemaking favourites these villages offer a glimpse of rural life The French favourites include picturesque Provence and wine regions in both the north and south From beautiful landscapes to an endless list of things to see and do this year’s winner is a real Occitanie gem remains a continuous curiosity and with careful rummaging can still be located It seems a strange conceit to be proud of the fact that your country is small enough to ride entirely around on a bicycle Here the race would be the Tour de Montana My experience with the thing can be summed up easily; loved the food I covered it during the days of Lance Armstrong a distinction otherwise reserved for world wars Armstrong did not kill Le Tour any more than Barry Bonds killed baseball but there is no avoiding the fact that neither sport has been the same since and gambling has filled the gap where emotion used to reign Guilt is assumed and innocence must be verified But bicycle racing shamed itself beyond all others from the beginning when for some misguided reason even strychnine was thought to be a benefit mere mortals naturally seek any help they can get away with The story goes that the first biker to make it over the Pyrenees shook his fist at the checkpoint shouting The Tour de France was invented by a newspaperman which is not necessarily a French thing to do Our baseball All-Star Game came about the same way I once worked in the very building where they began The building where the Tour was hatched is gone and the newspaper itself did not last as long as the event a fate that may be in the balance here as well The way things are going there could be All-Star Games long after there are newspapers around to report them The originating editor of Le Tour had the notion that the race should be so difficult that an ideal finish would have only one biker left at the end My lasting recollection of Le Tour is of taking the fast train from Paris to Bordeaux in order to experience the race like any ordinary Frenchman I bought a baguette and bicycled out to a dusty two-lane road to catch the race I recall huge cardboard hands being used as cooling fans helpful because instead of the single finger as in America The hand was sponsored by a string of betting shops I stopped at a “kiosques officiel.” Being sold out of the back of a van were garish yellow umbrellas and yellow hats the kind Gilligan used to wear on the island There is no way to make the color yellow fashionable French police in their coffee can hats walked along with night sticks Estimates are that 15 million people still do this during the three weeks of Le Tour the greatest individual audience of any sporting event anywhere Then suddenly official vehicles rushed past me part of the jangling parade that is the Tour de France with a large waving pig sticking out through the sunroof the world’s most popular tourist destination is getting back on track this summer with a focus (and a €50m government investment) on eco-friendly holidays That means going beyond the usual hotspots to an unexplored France of bamboo forests prehistoric horses and maybe a weekend as a lighthouse keeper Tiny islands BrittanyBrittany’s tourist numbers are set to surge this summer after two years of coronavirus so this is a good time to head to one of the tiny islands off the west coast for a few nights of stargazing with puffins and gulls dedicated to a British ship that sank off Molène in 1896 All but three of the 242 people aboard drowned and 29 are buried in the local cemetery Part of the Molène archipelago, the Île de Quéménès is only 300 metres wide and inhabited by just one family It’s a perfect stay for people who want to paint Île Vierge. Photograph: Laurel/AlamyÎle Vierge, a mile off the mainland at Plouguerneau, takes on the full force of the north Atlantic and has two lighthouses, one of which is the tallest “traditional” lighthouse in Europe with 365 steps to the top (open April-Oct) The island is a haven for birds and has a few tiny pebble beaches For bird-lovers, a boat leaves the Trestraou beach in Perros-Guirec for the Île Rouzic on a round trip (no disembarking) to watch thousands of puffins boobies and razorbills dive into the water between the bobbing grey seals the eco-friendly guesthouse (from €588 for two or €2,450 for the whole house) has three bedrooms and the price includes a full-board On Île Vierge, La Maison des gardiens de phare (from €550 for two nights) is the former lighthouse keepers’ cottage transformed into a eco-sustainable holiday let sleeping nine Ferry company Penn Ar Bed sails once a day to Molène from Brest and Le Conquet, while Vedettes des Abers runs passenger services between Plouguerneau and Île Vierge Renaissance style … Château de Tanlay Photograph: agefotostock/AlamyIt may not be one of France’s celebrated waterways which runs through the Côte-d’Or and Yonne and is the perfect length for a week’s cycling or walking holiday Most visitors come to Burgundy for the wine which leaves the museums and canal towpath relatively empty Built on a pink granite outcrop, Semur-en-Auxois is far enough from Chablis and Beaune to be off the wine trail and has a handsome gothic church, solid ramparts and stone bridges. It is famous for holding the annual Course de la Bague the oldest horse race in France (it began in 1639) and the Course des Chausses where locals run through the cobbled streets dressed in medieval tabards and jester’s stockings a library of 10,000 cookbooks and sommelier training This organic nature reserve was started almost 20 years ago by vet Patrice Longour and his wife, Alena, who took over a former hunting reserve in the Parc naturel régional des Préalpes d’Azur Its 700 hectares are the backdrop for a rewilding programme that promotes sustainable tourism Stays can include a safari walk (or horse-drawn calèche ride) among the bison elk and roe deer that roam the forests and prairies of the reserve especially the sight of snappy Przewalski stallions charging around the pastures Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey. Photograph: niceartphoto/AlamyThe pre-Alps regional park also encompasses Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey, a popular village for hikers and mountain bikers. Three kilometres from the centre is the Grotte de Baume Obscure Visitors can wander alone through the cave’s narrow passages led by a fairy-flute soundtrack and periodic spotlight illuminations of stalactites as there are narrow gangways and steep staircases along the 700-metre trail everything is dripping and tiny bats hang overhead near the exit there’s a gift shop selling fossils and jewellery and a snack zone for hungry children For a more physical experience, the Estéron River gorge is ideal for canyoning from the village of Aiglun. Altitude 06 runs five-hour canyoning sessions for €80pp. One of the region’s best hikes is up to Le Castellaras de Thorenc a three-hour trek to the ruins of a perched medieval village with amazing views of the Pays de Grasse Salt pans under a stormy sky near Gruissan. Photograph: Hemis/AlamyOn the Mediterranean between Montpellier and Perpignan, Gruissan is a colourful blend of smart French seaside resort and American suburbia French film buffs may recognise Gruissan from the beachfront chalet in the opening scenes of Jean-Jacques Beineix’s erotic Betty sets the chalet alight after an argument but there are more than 1,000 similar wooden shacks multicoloured and unlike anything else in France There’s a bracing hiking excursion to the Gouffre de l’Oeil Doux where steep limestone cliffs plunge into a natural emerald pool but it’s a geological curiosity and a good spot for a picnic under the parasol pines Place de l’hotel de ville in Narbonne in summer. Photograph: mauritius images GmbH/AlamyTen-minutes’ drive further inland is Narbonne, once capital of Rome’s first colony in Gaul and now the principal city in France’s newly named Côte du Midi. Narbo Via opened last year on the outskirts of the city The Norman Foster + Partners-designed building includes a gallery wall made up of 760 ancient funerary blocks of stone (adults €8 free for under 26s and combined entrance with Amphoralis a Roman workshop for producing amphora and the Horreum which he wrote while on a train passing the lagoons of the nearby coastline Zen garden and indoor pool (doubles from €115) The Baccarat company, which takes its name from the town on the banks of the Meurthe River, was founded in 1764 to produce soda glass for windows but switched to focusing on exclusive lead crystalware when it was acquired by a Belgian company in 1817. The Baccarat crystal museum (open daily July-August) has more than 2,000 pieces in gleaming showcases, and furnaces are fired up regularly in the workshops opposite. Read moreThe town’s modern riverside church of Saint-Rémy has 20,000 pieces of coloured Baccarat crystal in its stained-glass windows which also does quiche lorraine and foie gras marinated in the local gewurztraminer wine The peloton at the start in Semur-en-Auxois A day for the sprinters if they survive the 2,400 metres of elevation gain in 183.4km route from Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews live coverage of stage 8 of the 2024 Tour de France as second-place green jersey contener Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) has been forced to leave the race because of injuries sustained from his stage 5 crash We're around one hour away from the stage start in Semur-en-Auxois with Cyclingnews' on-the-ground team reporting a rainy welcome to the start village the Tour's live broadcast of race sign-on paints a rainy image of the riders 🔴Watch the signature podium live from Stage 8 of the #TDF2024 in Semur-en-Auxois🔴 Suivez la podium signature de la 8ème étape du #TDF2024 en direct https://t.co/XbGeQSCyFJJuly 6, 2024 it's far from a straightforward sprinter's day Unlike the days that have ended in bunch sprints so far It's a rainy start to today's Tour de France stage in Semur-en-Auxois.Follow all the action in our live report: https://t.co/yrIh8invLi📸 @LVCKV pic.twitter.com/6xsLKtNqx7July 6, 2024 It’s pouring at the start here in Semur-en-Auxois which will add to the stress and complications We're about five minutes away from the neutralised start.  A lot of grim faces as they wait at the neutralised start They will not be looking forward to riding in this weather.  With a decent chance of the breakaway succeeding today we can expect a big fight from the flag to get in it - and so some pretty intense racing to warm up with The riders must be itching to get on with it and warm up Pogačar seemed in as good spirits as ever at the start Here he is waving to the crowd while warming up Some riders are dropping back to remove some of the rain gear they'd had on at the start They're anticipating warming up very quickly once the racing gets going This will be much more exciting than previous days when nobody tried to get into the break - we promise.  EF Education-EasyPost kick things off immediately with Nelson Powless attacking with Uno-X’s Jonas Abrahamsen Powless' teammate Stefan Bissegger is also with them and have formed a three-man group a few seconds ahead of the peloton.  Quentin Pacher of Groupama-FDJ is in pursuit of the trio Packer is closer to the peloton than the three riders ahead of him There are no signs of any attacks coming out of the peloton It seems the appetite to get into the breakaway is much lower than expected The pace is slow enough for Pogačar to stop for a comfort break at the side of the road It's two minutes already for the leading trio It's hard to see anyone bridging up to that who is only ten seconds ahead of the peloton Alpecin-Deceuninck and Intermarché - Wanty taking over - they're riding to control the race and ensure more moves don't go away.  but that doesn’t mean it’s comfortable for the riders There are lots of grim faces as they ride their way through the rain I for one am happy to be watching this with a roof over my head this isn’t developing into the breakaway day we had been expecting We’ve just heard Powless tell Abrahamsen that he “would like to have more guys here.” It shouldn’t be hard for the peloton to control and bring back such a small group even in this weather on such undulating terrain.  The riders are on the first of the day’s climbs It’s one of three in quick succession during this early phase of the race Could the race in the peloton ignite over these climbs For now the gap remains too high for that to seem likely.  this is an interesting move from EF Education-EasyPost they've attacked with two more - Ben Healy and another Alberto Bettiol is the teammate with Healy and the 2 EFs are also joined by Stevie Williams the trio's lead has been slashed by 30 seconds - by their own teammates Max Van Gils and Mathieu Burgaudeau have joined the three chasers The pace is fast enough again to force some riders out the back of he peloton - including Cavendish.  Van Gils and Burgaudeau have been brought back by the peloton Romain Grégoire is the latest to make a move It might have seemed strange of EF Education-EasyPost to reignite the race despite having two men up the road especially as by doing so they cut their advantage But there is method in the madness - they must believe that the 3-man lead group has no chance of making it to the finish and the only way they will is if a few riders (whether from their team They're on the second climb already - Côte de Villy-en-Auxois Grégoire is still a minute behind the leaders Their two leaders have dropped off the pace Fabio Jakobsen is dropped out of the peloton on the climb Lots more attacks from the peloton on the climb There are about 20 riders trying to go clear of the peloton Abrahamsen goes over the top of this climb Those chasers have become the peloton again as they merge together over the top.  We can expect the action to kick off again here The EF duo are setting a fast pace up this climb and hope a few riders can bridge up to them and form a bigger breakaway group with them.  The first rider to attack fro the peloton on this climb is Jordan Jegat The race has actually calmed down on this climb Jegat has not only caught the two EF riders Another strange  development with EF's tactics.  the situation is: Abrahamsen in front on his own Cavendish and other riders who had been dropped have returned and some riders are pausing for comfort breaks.  Jegat is in a tricky situation here - a long way from Abrahamsen and with nobody to help him bridge the gap it seems he's sat up and is waiting for the peloton to catch him Jegat has been brought back by the peloton which is now almost five minutes behind Abrahamsen.  Here's a glimpse of how bad the rain was earlier in the day Abrahamsen is the only man on the road going hard at the moment as the peloton approaches the intermatie sprint and the sprinters will be here to contest the rest of the points in about five minutes The abandon of Pedersen this morning and relegation of Philipsen two days ago means Girmay suddenly has a huge lead in the green jersey classification of 62 points over the next best rider - who Intermarché - Wanty are leading the sprint out for Girmay That was textbook from Intermarché - Wanty Not only did they have three men to lead Girmay out they even used Gerben Thijssen to outsprint Philipsen for third place Abrahamsen still has a very big lead of 5-45 as we enter an undulating part of the course.  Crash for Søren Kragh Andersen in the peloton Here are the intermediate sprint results in full: That means Girmay extends his lead over Philipsen in the points classification to 68 points while Abrahamsen reduces his deficit to the Eritrean to 59 points Here is the updated green jersey rankings in full The race has settled down again after that sprint while Intermarché - Wanty lead the peloton He will surely add a combativity award to the many honours and prizes already picked up this Tour The road undulates for a little while longer While the race is going through a lull, why not have a read of our piece looking back at the old US Postal team of 1999, and where all it's members are now?  The peloton is being led mostly by Lotto-Dstny, who obviously really fancy their man Arnaud De Lie on a finish like today’s. They’re maintaining their deficit to Abrahamsen rather than reducing it, and the gap remains about six minutes. Abrahamsen is on the Côte de Santenoge now. He'll extend his lead in the King of the Mountain yet further.  With such a big gap now between the him and the peloton, it's unlikely we'll see the same action we did on the previous climbs - though given the unorthodox tactics of EF Education-EasyPost today, you can't completely discount any attacks. Abrahamsen reaches the top, and he still looks strong. Bike change for Hugo Page in the peloton. No need to panic with the race so relaxed. The peloton have only ust started the climb, minutes after Abrahamsen crested it. It's only 1.1km long, but it averages 8%. Sam Bennett's just stopped, to adjust his own seat post. This will be a tricky finish for him, but such attention to detail suggests he fancies his chances.  The peloton reach the top of the climb, and the pace has gone up a bit. The gap has come down to within six minutes again.  Other teams are helping Lotto-Dstny at the front. Alpecin-Deceuninck for Philipsen, Intermarché-Wanty for Biniam Girmay and Cofidis for Coquard. The gap's come down a little more to 5-45, and it's likely to continue in that direction from now on. Some developments in the peloton, which is stringing out. It seems they're being wary of crosswinds, but right now neither its strength nor direction appears to be conducive to splitting the race. A narrowing of the road has caused some problems in the peloton, but, thankfully, nobody hit the deck.  Geraint Thomas is off the back of the peloton, having had a flat tire. It might take longer to rejoin than it would have done earlier, what with the increase in pace, but only an inconvenience rather than a worry. Abrahamsen's lead is now down to five minutes. Inexorably, he is being reeled in.  Crash for Warren Barguil in the peloton. He’s OK, but having to wait for a bike change. There’s been a split in the peloton amid that crash, with lots of riders caught out behind. There’s no panic, but they are having to chase hard to re-join. Abrahamsen has just started the final climb of the day, Côte de Giey-sur-Aujon. It’s only 1.2km, but pretty steep, at 7.8%.  Abrahamsen reaches the top of the climb, competing a clean sweep of polka-dot jersey points for the day. He's very unliely to add a stage win to that, but it's been another great day for the Norwegian regardless.  Now the peloton are on the climb, being led by Intermarché - Wanty. They're just over four minutes behind Abrahamsen.  The peloton reach the top of the climb, having reformed earlier. There are no more splits, but Alberto Bettiol is off the back having had a mechanical. There might not be any more official climbs from now to the finish, but the road will continue to undulate, and is far from flat. Don't discount the possibility of some late attacks - perhaps the teams without sprinters who nevertheless didn't try and get into the break at the start of the day, will instead make their moves towards the end of the stage? 3-35 now for Abrahamsen. Even a man as apparently indefatigable as he faces a miracle to defend that over the next 50km. So, if and when this does come back together for a sprint, who will be the favourites for the win? Lotto-Dstny’s presence at the front of the peloton signals that they believe in Arnaud De Lie. The young Belgian has impressed already on Tour debut, with a third, fourth and fifth place finish to his name already, and the slight uphill of today’s finish suits him better than those flat sprints. If he still feels fresh, he’ll have a great chance. The false flat to the finish also makes this a great opportunity for Biniam Girmay. He’s already been sprinting faster than at arguably any time in his career, and packs a relatively faster punch on a draggy finish like this. Even if he doesn’t earn another win in addition to his stage three triumph, this is a chance for him to extend his lead yet more in the points classification. Although he has the speed of a pure sprinter, Jasper Philipsen is still capable of excelling on a finish like this. He finished second behind Mads Pedersen in a similar stage of last year’sTour and, with the Dane having gone home, could go one better this time - especially as he’ll be fuelled by anger at how frustratingly his Tour has gone so far. 2-50 now for Abrahamsen. The sprinter teams have the situation well under control.   The uphill nature of the finish will make this hard for the purists to get involved, such as stage winners Mark Cavendish and Dylan Groenewegen. Instead, other names who have not shown their faces in the previous bunch finishes could get involved - such as Groenewegen’s Jayco-AlUla teammate Michael Matthews, who has always loved finishes like this. And what about Wout van Aert? On one hand, he looked well short of his best in yesterday’s time trial, but he has managed to get involved in some of the bunch sprints, taking sixth place in Dijon. At his best, he’d be the favourite on a finish like this, but does he have the form today?  Sandy Dujardin is looking worse for wear in the peloton. He appears to have a bug of some kind, having been back to the medical car earlier, and is now receiving support from his TotalEnergies teammate Mattéo Vercher, who has his arm over his shoulder. Things are definitely getting more tense in the peloton now. There’s a big battle for positioning ahead of a corner. These roads are wet, too. Nerves will be high. The rain is coming down heavier, too. Just what the riders didn’t want.  The increase in pace has seen Abrahamsen's gap come down a lot in the last few kilometres. It's now down to 1-45. At this rate he could be caught early enough to encourage new attacks from the peloton.  Interestingly, EF Education-EasyPost are back at the front. Do they have a new plan to go for the stage win? Some riders getting dumped out the back of the peloton, including Pogačar's teammate Marc Soler. A surprise, as Michael Matthews is dropped. Clearly he won't be in the mix for the stage win. UAE Team Emirates have taken control of the peloton, having disappeared from the front for a while. Lots of teams jostling for position at the front of the peloton. There's a lot of tension, but thankfully no crashes.  Just over half a minute now for Abrahamsen. The catch is imminent.  Michael Matthews might have been dropped, but his Jayco-AlUla teammate Dylan Groenewegen is still there. We also haven't seen Mark Cavendish be dropped, so he might still be contention for now too. EF Education-EasyPost are back on the front again. An uncategorised climb is approaching, and it's a far from easy one. Could we see attacks? No attacks yet, and the bunch has compressed together, with the pace having slowed. Abrahamsen's long day is at an end, as the peloton at last make that catch. Chapeau to the Norwegian - he has been the great entertainer of this Tour so far.  No attacks on the climb, and the riders now enter the final 10km. This is looking like it's going to be a large buch sprint.  Wout van Aert currently has his nose to the wind at the front of the peloton, protecting Visma-Lease a Bike leader Jonas Vingegaard. It may be that he's on domestique duty today, and therefore not sprinting.  Mark Cavendish is still present in the bunch, and right up towards the front surrounded by Astana teammates. Does he fancy his chances, despite the uphill finish? EF Education-EasyPost lead the peloton, with Quinn and Healy. They're presumably working for their sprinter Van den Berg. Fabio Jakobsen has sat up, so won't be contesting the sprint.  Decathlon-AG2R take over at the front. Sam Bennett must be feeling up for it today.  Riders strwen all across the road. This is wide open, with no one team taking control.  Pogacar has Tim Wellens looking after him, as they go under the 3km to go banner. Almost a crash in the peloton, as a ripple affect goes through the peloton, but thankfully no fallers. Some have been taken out of position though. 2km to go, and still the peloton is bunched up, with no team stinrging it out. Some trains forming now though - Decathlon lead the peloton. Coquard started his sprint early, and first Philipsen passed him, then Girmay passed him. Philipsen led for most of the final metres, but Girmay came around him just in time. In between, Arnaud De Lie couldn't find a gap to come through them, and finished third.  By winning, Girmay becomes the first repeat winner of this Tour de France. If he wasn't already a superstar of cycling, he is now. As for Philipsen, his torments at this year's race continues. That's the second time he's crossed the line at this Tour in second-place. He had to come from much further back than Girmay in this sprint, which ultimately cost him. Despite leading the sprint initially, Coquard ended up finishing down in 37th. He started his sprint much too early.  The finish was much more relevant to the green jersey than the yellow jersey. Here's the updated rankings in that classification: Thanks for joining us today, for what was yet another history-making moment by Biniam Girmay. Tomorrow promises to be a thriller, as the riders take on the fearsome gravel roads. Be sure to join us again. The rolling terrain could favour the breakaway or a sprint finish Tadej Pogacar wears the leader's yellow jersey Well that leaves things nicely poised doesn't it The four big hitters occupy the top four positions on the GC a third into the 21-stage race and there's plenty more to come You can read all about how Remco Evenepoel took the spoils but Tadej Pogacar kept the yellow jersey in our report. the peloton will head 183.4km on a lumpy route from Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises but then again the sprinters could also be licking their lips We will see you around 12:20 BST to see how it all plays out 60Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingSimon Yates the highest placed British riderpublished at 16:56 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:56 BST 5 July 2024Simon Yates was the highest placed British rider on stage seven one minute and 33 seconds down His brother Adam was a further 13 seconds down while Geraint Thomas ended up two minutes and 21 seconds behind Remco Evenepoel who has now won stages at all three Grand Tours 142Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'I enjoyed every metre of this time trial'published at 16:52 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:52 BST 5 July 2024Image source Getty ImagesRemco Evenepoel speaking after winning stage seven: "Crazy I wanted to start fast and keep something for the climb and the descent was on the limit pretty technical and fast but I enjoyed every metre of this time trial Coming out with a win is simply amazing so I am super happy “I was pretty sure I had a puncture actually but I think someone maybe dropped a glass or hit the fence or something it was exactly the same sound as a puncture After a few hundred metres I knew nothing was wrong but I kept going with a bit of fear in my head because I thought it was a slow puncture I had to take risks because I knew Tadej was close to me “It was a close one but I wanted to win today and that’s accomplished." 222Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingGeneral classification after stage sevenpublished at 16:46 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:46 BST 5 July 20241 Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) 27hrs 16mins 23secs Remco Evenepoel (Bel/Soudal-Quick Step) +33secs Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +1min 15secs Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +1mins 36secs Juan Ayuso (Spa/UAE Team Emirates) +2mins 16secs Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates) +2mins 17secs Carlos Rodriguez (Spa/Ineos Grenadiers) +2mins 31secs Mikel Landa (Spa/Soudal-Quick Step) +3mins 35secs Matteo Jorgenson (US/Visma-Lease a Bike) 4mins 03secs Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe) +4mins 46secs 186Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingStage seven resultspublished at 16:39 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:39 BST 5 July 20241 Remco Evenepoel (Bel/Soudal-Quick Step) 28mins 52secs Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +12secs Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +34secs Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +37secs Victor Campenaerts (Bel/Lotto-dstny) +52secs Kevin Vauquelin (Fra/Arkea-B&B Hotels) Same time Matteo Jorgenson (US/Visma-Lease a Bike) +54secs Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates) +57secs Ben Healy (Ire/EF Education-EasyPost) +59secs 305Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPogacar gains further groundpublished at 16:32 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:32 BST 5 July 2024Tadej Pogacar may not have won the stage but he has taken 22 seconds out of Primoz Roglic and 25 out of Jonas Vingegaard I'm sure he would have been fairly happy with that when he set off 7614Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPogacar finishes second on stage sevenpublished at 16:29 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:29 BST 5 July 2024Tadej Pogacar rolls over the line in second 8010Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:28 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:28 BST 5 July 2024Tadej Pogacar has a kilometre to cover and is around 10 seconds down on Evenepoel 307Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingEvenepoel goes quickestpublished at 16:27 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:27 BST 5 July 2024Remco Evenepoel is 34 seconds quicker than Primoz Roglic 5910Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:26 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:26 BST 5 July 2024Remco Evenepoel is in the final kilometre and really putting the hammer down.. 296Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingVingegaard crosses three seconds downpublished at 16:26 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:26 BST 5 July 2024Jonas Vingegaard comes home three seconds slower than his former teammate Primoz Roglic.. 275Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:25 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:25 BST 5 July 2024Was that a gear slip or a problem with his chain Remco Evenepoel looks to be in trouble momentarily but quickly sorts whatever the problem is 135Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRoglic in the hot seatpublished at 16:23 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:23 BST 5 July 2024Primoz Roglic is piling it on here.. The Slovenian will take to the hot seat after crossing 18 seconds better than Campenaerts 187Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:21 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:21 BST 5 July 2024Carlos Rodriguez crosses the finish 35 seconds down on Victor Campenaerts He will almost certainly lose time to the big four 66Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPogacar 10 seconds down on Evenepoelpublished at 16:20 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:20 BST 5 July 2024Tadej Pogacar is out of his saddle as he gets near the top of this climb He is giving everything but is 10 seconds down on Remco Evenepoel Will he be able to take some time back on the descent which is far from the Belgian's speciality 194Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingEvenepoel on a flyerpublished at 16:17 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:17 BST 5 July 2024Oh my word Remco Evenepoel is 23 seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard at the second check 336Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:16 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:16 BST 5 July 2024Joao Almeida is grimacing as he comes through the final section of this time trial and is five seconds off 64Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:13 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:13 BST 5 July 2024Image source Getty ImagesTadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard will be hoping to take time out of Remco Evenepoel on the climb Up the road Primoz Roglic through the second time check in the lead 175Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:12 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:12 BST 5 July 2024Matteo Jorgenson crosses the finish line two seconds off 123Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPogacar going wellpublished at 16:11 British Summer Time 5 July 202416:11 BST 5 July 2024Tadej Pogacar is a couple of seconds down on Remco Evenepoel Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty) showed his sprinting versatility to take his second Tour de France win in the uphill finale to Stage 8.COLOMBEY-LES-DEUX-EGLISES FRANCE - JULY 06: Biniam Girmay of Eritrea and Team Intermarche - Wanty - Green Sprint Jersey celebrates at finish line as stage winner during the 111th Tour de France 2024 Stage 8 a 183.4km stage from Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises 352m / #UCIWT / on July 06 (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images) Source: Getty / Tim de Waele/Getty Images Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España.Get the latest with our sport podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.Watch on SBS SportSport News In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you 1 Thessalonians 5.17-19 (AV)"},"children":[]}]},{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":"Bible verses are provided by the Bible Society"},"children":[]}]},{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":"***"},"children":[]}]},{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"bold","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":"STANFORD"},"children":[]}]},{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":" on 4th July 2024 to Laura Draper and Mark Stanford Vera Elena Claire."},"children":[]}]},{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"bold","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":"WOODHAMS"},"children":[]}]},{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":" on 15th October 2024 to Claire (née Oborne) and Matthew sister to Daniel and Emma."},"children":[]}]},{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"bold","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":"MR T FOULKES-HARTLEY"},"children":[]}]},{"name":"break","children":[]},{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":"The engagement is announced between Taylor younger son of Barry and Debra Gershon of London daughter of Lawrence and Julia Fagg of Durham."},"children":[]}]},{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"bold","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":"CRAIG"},"children":[]}]},{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":" Rodney Nicol passed away on 17th October 2024 Funeral service to be held at"},"children":[]}]}]},"summary({\"maxCharCount\":200})":{"type":"json","json":[{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"bold","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":"PRAY"},"children":[]}]},{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":" without ceasing 2024","id":"8e4990d8-4380-4318-b8d8-52df31df968e","label":null,"publicationName":"TIMES","publishedTime":"2024-10-22T23:01:00.000Z","updatedTime":"2024-10-22T17:41:47.000Z","section":null,"shortIdentifier":"sz66d0j5t","shortHeadline":"Births Bible verses are provided by the Bible Society STANFORD on 4th July 2024 to Laura Draper and Mark Stanford WOODHAMS on 15th October 2024 to Claire (née Oborne) and Matthew FOULKES-HARTLEYThe engagement is announced between Taylor daughter of Lawrence and Julia Fagg of Durham CRAIG Rodney Nicol passed away on 17th October 2024 The green jersey Biniam Girmay bolstered his classification lead by winning an uphill bunch sprint in Saturday’s eighth stage of the 2024 Tour de France. It’s Girmay’s second victory of the 111th edition He is the first rider of the 2024 Tour to win more than one stage Mads Pedersen wouldn’t be contesting what might be a bunch sprint in Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises at the end of 183 km Rain brought out the arm warmers and gilets A stage for the breakaway today at the #TDF2024? pic.twitter.com/73lMbvLZM5 — Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) July 6, 2024 Saturday’s route also might go the way of the breakaway but it seemed like the move would need more than the three riders who bolted soon after the start in Semur-en-Auxois Polka dot jersey Jonas Abrahamsen took off with two EF Education-Easypost riders 3 Côte de Verrey-sous-Salmaise Abrahamsen gobbled up the KOM points With the EF Education riders having returned to the peloton He was first at the day’s intermediate sprint 4 Côte de Santenoge and the day’s final climb Côte de Giey-sur-Aujon The rain started in earnest as the race headed towards its climax UAE-Emirates and Ineos took over the front of the peloton from the sprinters’ teams Abrahamsen finally came in from the cold with 14 km to go It was a straight run-in to the finish line It was important not to launch on the ramp too early Sunday is the last day before the first rest day and contains 14 sectors of gravel Get the digital edition of Canadian Cycling Magazine Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Burgundy is huge: it starts 80km south-east of Paris and stretches past Mâcon I particularly love the lesser-known north People are familiar with the wine areas but this area is really special When I was a kid my family used to drive from Paris to the south of France in a Citroen – my father smoking all the way I always remember the scenery near the motorway exit at Semur-en-Auxois: it was hilly not like the wheat fields you see over thousands of acres of the country like a painting by Constable – and I loved it The stone in Burgundy’s villages is very beautiful too: it’s a whiteish gold The English are drawn to the Dordogne and the south-west but if they gave Burgundy a couple of days they would discover the most extraordinary historical landmarks with lots of local produce and flowers and delicious food – I always take my foreign friends Sit at a cafe terrace with a coffee or glass of wine and buy the most amazing saucisson and cheeses For a great-value meal, look for a table d’hôte (set menu), in a village restaurant. Try specialities such as gougère (choux pastry with cheese), snails or beef – everything is cooked in wine, of course. In Sacquenay, there’s a B&B with great food called Ferme des Champs Penêts (doubles from €65) – it’s in a beautiful house with a view of the village and medieval church Lambert Wilson plays Jacques-Yves Cousteau in The Odyssey His guide shrieked with laughter: "Oh is so laughable about the idea of Gaulish or Celtic engineers To which the obvious answer is: "No viaducts No roads." But when it comes to the last item Robb is convinced the obvious answer is wrong The idea of Celtic incompetence is so firmly ingrained as to trump the evidence Looking at the wheel of a chariot found at Blair Drummond in Perthshire calculated the probable weight of the chariot itself as several hundred kilos and concluded that the wheel was useless: on a muddy trackway the chariot would have got bogged down immediately Either the long-dead wheelwright didn't think of that – or else early Pictland had gravelled roads a number of four-sided Celtic enclosures have been found in England and in France The Celts just couldn't get anything right the enclosures are actually all definable within an ellipse the pattern easily created with the help of two poles and a length of rope Robb's real argument is not that the pre-Roman inhabitants of Celtic Europe were skilled engineers but that they were skilled surveyors and astronomers which runs from the south-west tip of Europe the "Sacred Promontory" (Sagres) in Portugal and continues straight as an arrow through the mountain pass of the Pyrenees in Andorra and on to the Alpine pass of Montgenèvre the path Hannibal took with his war-elephants The line (NE to SW) exactly follows the bearing of the rising sun at summer solstice you stand on the Via Heraklea and turn 90 degrees west said to have been founded by Herakles and close by Alesia where Vercingetorix the Gaul (c 82BC-46BC) chose to make his last stand against Julius Caesar Turn due north and you are looking at the sanctuary of Deneuvre where 100 statues of Herakles were unearthed in 1974 They glint like gold coins on the edge of a ploughed field says Robb – or like the Cyrenean gold coin of c 320BC found among his lettuces by a man in a tiny village on the Breton coast Facts fit together "with the sound of an iron key turning in a lock" One certainly has to admire the perseverance Robb has shown not just researching in libraries and map rooms very often to places that no tourist or researcher has ever visited or even inquired about before The hardest part seems to have been tracing the many places once called "Mediolanum" (or "town in the middle of the plain") but there are six of them along the line of the Via Heraklea and as many as 101 others where the modern place-name suggests a "Mediolanum" original and again and again Robb on his bike found incredulity that anyone should ask for directions to Les Miolans or Le Mayollant the "trig points" of the Celtic survey system Another placename of which he finds many examples is "Equorandas" again) on the Celtic "vocal telegraph" a system of passing messages by shouting from one "echo-point" or "call-line" to another but wastes no time on the considerable powers of organisation it must have required organisation was what the pre-Roman scientists of Gaul were good at what they laid out was a gridwork of astronomically derived lines the "ancient paths" of Robb's title oriented both on summer solstice and winter solstice sunrise Another north-south/ east-west grid centred on Mediolanum Biturigum had the privilege of providing the Celts with their king its old importance was confirmed by another vegetable-patch discovery: a retired postman digging a plot for endives felt the earth give way beneath him to reveal a giant cache of 350 amphorae The sites where Caesar fought his battles (sites chosen by his Celtic enemies) are all on the solar network which may explain some seemingly curious strategic decisions The network was perhaps extended to Britain our critical "Mediolanum" being Whitchurch in Shropshire A similar calculation identifies the Hill of Uisneach once accepted as the mythical and geographic omphalos of Ireland Part of Robb's argument is that his ancient scientists could not only draw ellipses on not impossibly difficult Pythagorean principles you do indeed get a new view of an ancient civilisation bulldozed into oblivion (like the Celtic-Gaulish language) by Rome Druids have become very much a feature of the modern imagination from the rites at Stonehenge (almost certainly held at the wrong time and facing the wrong way) to Astérix the Gaul's mentor "Getafix" (or Panoramix) But the truth is we know little about them and nearly all of that is from second-hand or hostile sources They should not be appealed to as an all-purpose explanation There certainly was some powerful organisation behind the many henges of England often demanding many hundreds of thousands of man-hours and following plans carried out over decades Something similar could have persuaded millions of Gauls to build their capitals and set up their trig points But we are just guessing at who the organisers were Coincidences, too, do exist. As Robb admits early on, look at lines on a map and a pattern will emerge, just like fate in a fortune-teller's teacup. Too many coincidences, furthermore, erode belief rather than reinforcing it. Culloden Moor was fought in 1746 on a line bisected by the Dinas Emrys meridian But one doubts whether any of Bonnie Prince Charlie's men knew that The summer solstice line from Dinas Emrys takes you straight to Camelot – Camelot theme park I doubt Excalibur ever was thrown into Martin Mere close by of "the ruthless ingenuity of the unconscious mind" All those archaeological discoveries pointed out The Ancient Paths creates a new respect for the ancient Gauls Tom Shippey's JRR Tolkien: Author of the Century is published by HarperCollins Tom Boonen went back to his winning ways in the Tour de France by taking stage six to.. with the Alps looming.(Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)Cancellara puts on another yellow jersey after the sprinters' teams helped him bring back Wiggins.(Image credit: Cyclingnews.com)Vinokourov (Astana) was relieved that the pace was slow Almost better than a birthday.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Freire lets his head hang as he collects another second place two days running.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Cancellara gets a pat on the back for yet another day in yellow survived There may not be another pat tomorrow.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Vinokourov and Astana teammates roll in who made a surprise visit with the rest of the family(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Boonen back in green after a perfect sprint in his 50x11 which was all that was left after a tangle with another rider one kilometre from the line.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Tom Boonen went back to his winning ways in the Tour de France by taking stage six to Bourg-en-Bresse The 26 year-old Belgian won the 199.5-kilometres stage after five hours and 20 minutes of racing over Oscar Freire (Rabobank) and Erik Zabel (Milram) and marked his first stage win in the Tour after two years and five days You need so much luck," blasted Boonen after the win The sprint did not come easy for the man from Flanders "Someone touched my rear wheel in the final kilometre I was forced to do my sprint in my 11 [tooth gear] and it was not possible to shift." Boonen's wheel touched that of T-Mobile's Mark Cavendish "I was on the wheel of Tom Boonen," confirmed the 21 year-old to Cyclingnews "I got my front wheel caught in his rear mech [derailleur] and it blew all my spokes out." He ended in 181st for the day while GC-rider Michael Rogers was the best-placed T-Mobile rider "Someone has to make sure there is some entertainment," stated Brit Bradley Wiggins simply after an escape of 190 kilometres The hot and long day was dominated by an escape of the 27 year-old Cofidis rider who gained over 17 minutes but the move remained under the control of the sprinters' teams which allowed Swiss Fabian Cancellara (Team CSC) to stay in the Maillot Jaune we have Carlos Sastre and Fränk Schleck They are climbers and it will be up to them," said Cancellara after another day in the leader's yellow jersey "I will do my best and try but for me the 15-kilometre Colombière will be tough I want to give all my energy to the team." The day also brought another Crédit Lyonnais stuffed lion because my family surprised me by being at the finish They made the one hour journey from Switzerland." Once Wiggins was caught at seven kilometres to go and over five hours of hot racing south towards the French département of Ain it was time for the sprinters' henchmen to take control Milram put the most men into the effort for Erik Zabel in order to save his Maillot Vert of best sprinter that he had lost to Boonen thanks to the intermediate sprints on the way Milram's efforts were aided by T-Mobile for Bernhard Eisel and Robbie McEwen's Predictor-Lotto team The boys were not letting any counter-attacks go on the narrow roads west of Mâcon Organizers had promised roads of eight metres wide but the bunch was crushed in the final five kilometres Fabian Wegmann of Gerolsteiner came up to the front in his white German Road Champion jersey for his team's designated sprinter He kept the pace ultra-high from 3200 to 2900 metres to go with Quickstep edging up behind for 2005 World Champion Tornado Tom Matteo Tosatto took over and drove like a freight train in the five hundred metres leading to 2000 metres to go The Italian noted the team's intentions at the start of the race "up to now we did well with the stage for Gert Steegmans and Milram went back to the front with two of its lead-out men followed by the teams of T-Mobile and Crédit Agricole Zabel sat on the wheels of his boys as the road bent slightly in the final 1300 metres The narrow roads helped edge out some of the competition and the race entered its final kilometre Milram was overtaken by Julian Dean for Crédit Agricole leader Thor Hushovd T-Mobile followed the Kiwi with Robert Hunter (Barloworld) also in the mix A surge from Gerolsteiner on the left ignited Boonen's sprint on the right Boonen had already helped teammate Gert Steegmans take his first Tour win in Gent and this time it was his turn Boonen finished a bike-length over Oscar Freire (Rabobank) The Spaniard had jumped hard to finish in second and the placing is a sign that the Spaniard is improving while Zabel's third did not repay his team's efforts To the right of Boonen and Freire was Frenchmen Sébastien Chavanel (Française Des Jeux) The 26 year-old brother of Sylvain is improving day by day and could soon get his sprint victory in a Tour that has seen a different sprinter win in every occasion "I was interrupted in my sprint," said Chavanel after the sprint to Jean-François Quénet of Cyclingnews "If I could have done what I wanted I would have finished second or third but I am not disappointed because all the best sprinters are in the Tour de France To be up there every day is a big satisfaction for me I am not really afraid of the mountains to come all the other sprinters will form a big enough gruppetto." Daniele Bennati (Lampre-Fondital) and Robert Förster (Gerolsteiner) rounded out places five through seven "My back was hurting a lot this morning but it got better after halfway into the race," Hushovd noted to Quénet I am happy that my back is better but I am not happy with my sprint I hope I can continue [without back problems] when the race hits the mountains." Boonen gained points at two of the intermediate sprints along the way to Bourg-en-Bresse and maximum points on the line to take the Maillot Vert from Zabel He leads into tomorrow's mountainous stage by 11 points over the German he was awarded the Prix de la Combativité for the most aggressive rider After losing almost three quarters of an hour yesterday Geoffroy Lequatre (Cofidis) did not take the start on Friday the Thirteenth in the tiny country village of Semur-en-Auxois sunny day with a moderate wind blowing from the southwest out of the Rhône River valley which offered a headwind along the almost two hundred kilometre stage The previous day's Stage 5 had been a nightmare for Astana an early Friday the Thirteenth where first Andreas Klöden had crashed hard into a ditch with 76 kilometres to go and X-rays at the hospital Thursday evening revealed a small fracture of the coccyx a bone Klöden had fractured in a crash three years ago Astana team leader Alexandre Vinokourov had his chain jump while racing downhill at 60 km/h his right elbow and sustained heavy bruising on his right thigh As the first Friday stage of Le Tour 2007 headed south through the bucolic farms of Auxois towards the famed wine region of Mâcon in the departement of the Saône Cofidis rider Bradley Wiggins decided to borrow a page from David Millar's Stage 1 playbook as the long lean World Pursuit champion made a solo attack with 197km still to race just outside Semur There was virtually no interest in chasing the Cofidis rider as he was no threat to win the overall so he quickly gained time on the peloton Wiggins became the Maillot Jaune Virtuel when his lead was already 5'40" Across the rolling farm roads through the bucolic countryside Big Wig powered along as the tune of Roule Brittania played on his mental iPod and at the first sprint in Bligny-Sur-Ouche came and went after 51.5 kilometres easily took the sprint points as he was over a quarter of an hour ahead of the next rider Hanging on to the back of the disinterested peloton were the wounded leaders of Astana Vino and Klödi who were surrounded by their teammates and probably happy for the slow pace behind Wiggins Next was the 4th category Côte de Grandmont a 2.4-kilometre climb at a 5.1-percent average grade after 55 kilometres that climbed the north side of the hill and then dropped down to the west of Beune among the notable vineyards of Rully just to the west of Chalone-sur-Sâone Maillot à Pois Sylvain Chavanel took the next points behind the British rider atop the Grandmont climb Bradley Wiggins just didn't have time for a glass of vin rouge out of his musette to celebrate his Maillot Jaune Virtuel as CSC had been increasing the pace on the front of the peloton and the Cofidis' riders lead was down to 10'30" 7'30" ahead of the peloton as his smooth style sped him south along the Sâone River Valley and with 72 kilometres to race at the days second sprint in Cormatin but the sprinters teams had upped the chase pace behind and his lead was hovering around 3 minutes ahead of Tommeke Boonen who bested Zabel and became the Maillot Vert Virtuel with the final sprint in Bourg-en-Bresse giving additional points to decide who will wear the jersey tomorrow Wiggins turned left and headed east towards the second rated climb of the day which is 3.5 kilometres long and averages 3.6 percent He was still riding slowly as the peloton was not chasing yet Wiggo had a rear flat and impetuously whipped his thousand-euro Fulcrum Speed carbon fibre wheel into the bushes as the team mechanic came up to change the wheel Wiggo had a 5-minute lead as Crédit Agricole T-Mobile and CSC were riding tempo on the front but had slowed the chase slightly as the big Brit was now catchable But Big Wig wasn't giving up so soon and as he pounded across the bridge over the Sâone River in the late summer afternoon the Cofidis man still had almost a four minute lead on the chasing peloton to an Aussie bike racer dad and a British mum was starting to slow his pace the big Brit had only 30 seconds and then was finally caught with 7 kilometres to go as Milram Quickstep and T-Mobile sucked up the valiant Wiggins the courageous Cofidis man was caught and the exhausted rider went out the back as the sprinters pace was too much to follow Predictor-Lotto hit the front but no team managed to impose a dominant train on the run-in to Bourg-En-Bresse there was a headwind that made the lead out timing difficult to calculate as Quickstep and Milram duelled on the front Gerolsteiner hit the front for Frösi Förster but Boonen saw an opening on the right after 200 metres to go and punched it hard Only Freire and Zabel could stay close and Boonen took a clean win on the Boulevard A Levrier in Bourg-En-Bresse on a stage that finished 40 minutes slower than the slowest time schedule posted by the Tour organizers Boonen took back the Maillot Vert he had lost to Erik Zabel the day before in Autun while CSC's Fabian Cancellara maintained the Maillot Jaune likely his last day in the most coveted jersey in cycling as Saturday's Stage 7 will be the first in the mountains at the 2007 Tour De France Maillot à Pois Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis) has a good chance to keep his polka-dot tunic as does Maillot Blanc Vladimir Gusev (Discovery Channel) July 14: Bourg-en-Bresse - Le Grand-Bornand the first mountain stage in the Alps will certainly upset the status quo at Le Tour and likely show who the real contenders are for Tour victory Saturday is France's national holiday and huge crowds should be lining the road Stage 6 starts out with an early climb up Côte de Corlier in the foothills of the Ain region where key team riders will try and get out front early to help their team leaders on the decisive final 16 kilometre ascent of the Col de la Colombière before the descent to Le Grand-Bornand Andreas Klöden (Astana) may be in trouble when the real climbing starts on the 16 kilometre ascent of the Col de la Colombière begins with 32 kilometre to go Same deal for his Astana teammate Vinokourov who may also have problems from his crash injuries of Thursday look for Dauphiné Libéré' winner French champ Christophe Moreau and his Ag2r team to go on the attack with his teammates Calzati and last years Maillot Jaune Dessel on their home Alpes as the team's headquarter is located close by in Chambéry Gusev and Karpets who will battle for the Maillot Jaune in Le Grand-Bornand on Saturday Climbs: Km 35.5: Côte de Corlier: 6.4 km climb @ 5.3 % grade / 3rd Cat Km 122.5: Côte de Cruseilles: 7.1 km climb @ 4.4 % grade / 3rd Cat Km 134: Côte Peguin: 4.3 km climb @ 4.1 % grade / 4th Cat Km 183: Col de la Colombière: 16.0 km climb @ 6.8 % grade / 1st Cat Sprints: Km 16.5: Pont d'Ain Km 111.5: Anglefort France — Filippo Pozzato of Italy won the fifth stage of the Tour de France on Thursday and Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara held on to the leader's yellow jersey for the sixth straight day Team Astana riders Alexandre Vinokourov and Andreas Kloeden were taken to the hospital in separate crashes during the 113-mile trek from the Burgundy town of Chablis to Autun who seems to have a fracture of the coccyx," Astana sporting director Marc Biver said of the rider who finished third last year and second to Armstrong in 2004 plummeting from 12th place overall to 81st after a crash with 15 miles to go With cuts on both knees and on his right buttock Vinokourov tried to catch up to the main pack under an escort from six Astana teammates but the peloton sped ahead to exploit his delay because when I knew that Vinokourov had fallen I was tempted to ask my team to slow down and wait for him," Pozzato said "Maybe there is less respect for the big riders than there once was "When I started in cycling there was a very clear hierarchy and I was afraid to get too close to (Lance) Armstrong I always stayed 3 meters back and never got too close Pozzato won a sprint at the end of the course and finished in 4:39:01 for his second Tour stage win the only man to wear the yellow jersey in this year's race 10 seconds back after losing 1:20 during Thursday's stage Alejandro Valverde briefly stopped at the side of the road before continuing Benjamin Noval of the Discovery Channel team crashed in the final descent with 4.8 miles to go He was taken to the hospital for X-rays and stitches on cuts on his chin and right arm Brett Lancaster of Australia dropped out of the race due to lingering back pain Riders set off for another mostly flat stage Friday a 124-mile course from Semur-en-Auxois to Bourg-en-Bresse before embarking Saturday on three grueling days in the Alps Last Updated on 11th May 2023 by Sophie Nadeau it’s no surprise that Bourgogne is one of those French regions that’s a total must-see once you’ve enjoyed the glittering lights of Paris and soaked up the sun of the Côte d’Azur Here’s your ultimate guide to the best of beautiful villages and towns in Burgundy that will absolutely steal your heart All pastel hues with a Provençal feel, the pretty town of Mâcon can be found somewhere between Chalon-Sur-Saône and Lyon The town also happens to be the birthplace of the famous 18th-century politician Claude-Philibert Barthelot de Rambuteau (I dare you to find a town in France that doesn’t have at least one square or street named for Rambuteau!) Other highlights of this off the beaten track settlement include admiring the ruins of Cathédrale le Vieux Saint-Vincent and enjoying the works of the Museum of Fine Arts which is housed within a former Ursuline convent the Beaujolais vineyards are often said to produce some of the best wines in Burgundy With a population of just under 5000 residents Cluny is easily one of the smaller towns in Burgundy Cluny is characterised by its central Abbey that was founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in 910 a town grew up around the ecclesiastical building of Eastern France thus resulting in a beautiful blend of Middle Ages buildings including a particularly impressive Hôtel Dieu Set across mainland France and a small island that lies on the River Saône Chalon-Sur-Saône is a little off the beaten tourist track and can be found in the very heart of Burgundy Surrounded by vineyards and filled with timber-framed houses this tiny town was even the birthplace of Nicéphore Niépce and the man who even took the earliest surviving photograph Home to one of the most beautiful Cathedral Tympanums in France Autun is located to the west of Beaune and was originally founded as Augustodunum during Roman times and you can expect to find highlights such as plenty of Roman ruins (including a Roman theatre and the Temple of Janus) and the Musée Rolin which features extensive artworks from the Burgundy region and beyond A little off the beaten path and far away from the crowds of Burgundy cities such as Beaune or Dijon, the city of Auxerre can be found nestled in a horseshoe bend of the River Yonne Famous across France as being the site of three important ecclesiastical buildings all three can be spied from a single vantage point alongside the water Wander through the city and you’ll soon discover that Auxerre is divided into three distinctive districts In the Quartier de l’Horloge, there’s the 15th-century clock tower while other highlights of Auxerre include several museums and of course the free-to-visit Abbey of Saint Germain of Auxerre World-famous wine originates from the tiny town of Chablis an otherwise unknown French settlement in the Northernmost part of Bourgogne that has a population of around two and a half thousand residents The biggest export from Chablis is Chablis Chardonnay Other delights you can expect to find should you choose to visit include a historic town centre include the Porte Noel (the old city gate) and the churches of Saint-Pierre and Saint-Martin the Festival du Chablisien is held on an annual basis and is a celebration of all things jazz and music Best-known as being the French capital city of mustard, Dijon is one of the largest cities in Burgundy. Home to a population of around 155,000 some of the best things to do in the Burgundy city include mustard tasting, wandering around the timber-framed old town, and seeking out all of Dijon’s hidden gems As if you thought Burgundy couldn’t get any dreamier it turns out that there’s quite literally a Burgundy town called Avallon Located somewhere between Auxerre and Beaune history and legend are closely interwoven when it comes to Avallon’s past While some theorists go as far to suggest that Avallon of Arthurian legend is the one and same as that of Bourgogne there’s no denying the beauty of this settlement of seven thousand residents other Avallon highlights include the collegiate church of Saint-Lazare d’Avallon and visiting one of the town’s two museums (the Museum of Costume and the town museum).  Founded as early as Roman times, if nearby Dijon is the French capital city of mustard, then Beaune is undoubtedly the French capital city of wine. Beaune is populated by plenty of wine tasting cellars, wine merchants, and even a wine bookshop Elsewhere in the little city you’ll soon discover that there’s many stunning churches, historic mansion houses, and of course, the old Beaune hospital. For more Beaune inspiration, check out my complete guide to the best things to do in Beaune For those who are looking for a fairytale town complete with medieval ramparts and picture perfect views this historic settlement dates back to the 14th-century and is one of the last examples of Burgundian architecture of its kind Located along the Route des Grands Crus, Nuits-Saint-Georges is perhaps most famous for its rich red wines this world-famous town has much more to offer than venturing into the surrounding vineyards is also an option if you’d like it to be Instead, the town is small in size and has just a handful of churches and smattering of traditional French bars and cafés. Close to the train station, on the fringes of Nuits-Saint-Georges, Le Cassissium produces all things blackcurrant related including the region’s other famous tipple Meursault is a tiny village of just over 1500 residents truth be told you come to this French settlement to experience some of the best wines that Burgundy has to offer and spy filming locations from the 1966 film, La Grande Vadrouille (the Great Stroll) there are several beautiful French châteaux worth visiting Situated just a couple of kilometres from the much larger Visne-Romanée is a quintessential Burgundian village with just a few hundred inhabitants what makes this settlement truly remarkable is that on the edge of the town down an unmarked and otherwise unremarkable road the vineyard that produces the most expensive wine in the world is to be found the vineyard for Romanée Conti looks like all of the other ‘climats’ in the area The small plot of land is marked out by the kind of simple cross and stone wall that is so synonymous with the region a little plaque on the wall indicates that this For those who are searching for the best of ecclesiastical history in Bourgogne as well as some of the best Burgundy architecture there is perhaps nowhere quite as picturesque as the tiny town of Vézelay Identifiable by its hilltop fortified appearance the 11th-century built Romanesque Basilica of St Magdalene as well as the town itself as both listed as UNESCO world heritage sites Situated just an hour south of Paris on the train and one of the most Northern located towns in Burgundy Sens may not have the draw of the Hospitals of Beaune nor does it have the culinary scene of Dijon or the world-famous wines of Nuits-Saint-Georges the traditional streets and laid back nature of the town belies its fascinating history it was here in this little-known town where Thomas à Becket chose to seek refuge Other highlights of this tiny town include a breathtakingly beautiful cathedral (where the Becket stained glass window is clearly on view) and the covered market hall directly opposite the Cathedral Of all the towns in Burgundy, one of the most magical of fairytale towns is that of Semur en Auxois. Perched atop a French hillside, the settlement in Bourgogne even features the remains of a medieval castle! Best seen over the course of a day, Semur-en-Auxois can be visited as a day trip from Dijon The main language spoken in France is French. Though you can get by with English is more touristic places, it’s always a good idea to learn some of the local language. Bring along a simple phrasebook like this one to help make your travels easier The capital of France is Paris. For more information and inspiration, check out our best Paris travel tips. France uses plug types, types C and E. As such, if you’re travelling from the UK, USA, Canada, and many other destinations, you’ll need to buy an adapter. I recommend buying a universal travel adapter that you can use for multiple destinations (rather than buying a new adaptor for each place you visit) As one of the most popular destinations in the world, you should always consider booking your accommodation well ahead of time. Check out this website for price comparison details and detailed reviews Be careful with your belongings. I also highly advise to avoid wearing a backpack and to instead opt for a crossbody bag like these ones. I personally use a crossbody bag by this brand and love its shape Enjoyed reading about the very best of towns in Burgundy Sophie Nadeau is a full time travel writer and photographer focused on cultural experiences in Europe and beyond When she's not chasing after the sunset (or cute dogs she sees on her travels) she can be found reading and website in this browser for the next time I comment This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. I started this site back in 2015 with one mission in mind: I wanted to create useful travel guides with a historical and cultural focus Today it has blossomed into my full time job and together with a small team of writers (including my husband and sister) we craft articles to help you travel better throughout Europe © 2015- 2025 Sophie Nadeau. Nadeau Pasquier LTD. All Rights Reserved. solosophie participates in various affiliate marketing programs. solosophie is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Privacy Policy