THE RACE LIVE
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The 181.0km stage to Lorient was won by AG2R Preyovance’s Sylvain Calzati. The top five in stage eight is:
1. Sylvain Calzati (A2R)
2. Kjell Carlstrom (LIQ) at 2’05"
3. Patrice Halgand (C.A) at 2’05"
4. Robbie McEwen (DVL) at 2’15"
5. Daniele Bennati (LAM) at 2’15"

Fourth place in stage eight appears to have been taken by Robbie McEwen. He led the peloton home only seconds after Carlstrom and Halgand.

Carlstrom beat Halgand in the sprint for second place, 2’05" behind Calzati.

Sylvain Calzati has just won the eighth stage. It’s surely the biggest victory in the career of the rider who has also won the Tour de L’Avenir (in 2004).

The French celebrations will begin in less than a minute. Sylvain Calzati is about to give his AG2R team a victory in the 2006 Tour de France; he is near the finish of the stage, two minutes ahead of his nearest rivals and the salute begins...!

Calzati has been on his own for 30km. He is now less than 2km from the finish and knows that the stage win is his...

The Lampre team is now in charge of the peloton. They are interested in setting up a sprint (for fourth place)... the bunch is well out of contention for stage honours, over three minutes behind Calzati.

Calzati’s victory is almost certain. He has about 3.5km to go and he has begun to give his team director a high-five through the car window. The second and third-placed riders - Carlstrom and Halgand - are 1’55" behind...

Calzati appears destined to win his first Tour de France stage. He is less than 5km from the finish.
He began the stage in 76th place on general classification and has just been awarded the Most Aggressive Rider prize by the jury. He was 7’12" behind Gonchar.

Philippe Gilbert has been caught by the peloton which is now 3’05" behind Calzati.

Calzati made his bid for glory with 32km to go in the stage. He is now less than 6.5km from Lorient and has a lead of 1’45" on Carlstrom and Halgand. In fourth place is Gilbert (at 2’55") and then the peloton at 3’10".

The peloton is 10km from the finish of the eighth stage. It is 3’05" behind Calzati.

With 10km to go, Halgand and Carlstrom are 1’40" behind Calzati.

Calzati’s advantage over the riders in second and third, Carlstrom and Halgand is 1’35".

Philippe Gilbert has attacked the peloton. He is being pursued by riders from the Lampre team.

The peloton appears out of contention for stage honours. Calzati is currently 3’00" ahead of the main pack and the stage leader is now 10km from the finish.

The peloton appears to have conceded defeat today. It’s coasting along with no team taking responsibility for a pursuit of the three riders at the front of the stage.
Calzati looks like he could win the stage but he has 11km to go before the finish in Lorient.

The peloton is 2’45" behind Calzati with 15km to go in stage eight.

After his recent puncture, Boonen has quickly rejoined the peloton that is now 2’45" behind Calzati.

Boonen has had a quick wheel change and is now racing to rejoin the peloton which is 2’20" behind the stage leader and being led by Gerolsteiner, Milram and Lampre riders.

The world champion is at the back of the peloton. Boonen has puncture his rear tire.

The advantage of the stage leader on the second and third rider is 1’21".

Aerts, Kessler and Zabriskie have just been caught by the peloton with 17km to go. The only men ahead of the main pack are: Calzati (with a lead of 2’30"), Carlstrom and Halgand.

Until this stage, the best place that Sylvain Calzati has ahieved in a stage of the Tour de France was 14th. That was in stage two from Charleroi to Namur in 2004. He now has lead of 2’30" on the peloton which has just caught up wtih Kessler, Zabriskie and Aerts.

The Lampre team is coming to the front of the peloton which has been controlled by FDJ and Caisse d’Epargne riders since 30km to go. There are also a few Quickstep riders moving forward.

As the FDJ and Caisse d’Epargne teams lead the peloton under the 20km to go banner, it is 2’45" behind Calzati.

With 20km to go in stage Calzati leads Carlstrom and Halgand by 50". Zabriskie, Aerts and Kessler are at 1’40".

Calzati has 20km to go. He leads Carlstrom and Halgand by 50".

The rider who currently leads stage eight turned 27 on the first day of the 2006 Tour de France. Calzati’s advantage on the peloton at the 158km mark is 2’35".

Calzati attacked the lead group with 32km to go, He is 30" ahead of Carlstrom and Halgand and 1’20" ahead of Kessler, Zabriskie and Aerts.

With 25km to go, Calzati (A2R) led Halgand (C.A) and Carlstrom (LIQ) by 30”, Kessler (TMO), Aerts (DVL) and Zabriskie (CSC) by 1’00” and the peloton by 2’30”.

Calzati has 25km to go in the stage. He is 26" ahead of Halgand and Carlstrom, 45" ahead of Kessler, Zabriskie and Aerts and 2’30" ahead of the peloton.

Calzati leads by 20" - to Halgand and Carlstrom and 35" to Aerts, Zabriskie and Kessler.

The current situation has Calzati with a lead over two chasers - Halgand and Carlstrom. Behind these three are Kessler, Zabriskie and Aerts. The peloton is at 2’30".

The rider who currently leads the stage is Sylvain Calzati. The AG2R rider won the Tour de L’Avenir in 2004.

The stage is now led by Calzati who is 7" ahead of Halgand and 15" ahead of Kessler, Zabriskie, Carlstrom and Aerts.

The the lead group is now showing signs of aggression. Calzati has attacked and is now being pursuit by Halgand.

The advantage of Zabriskie (TMO), Kessler (TMO), Carlstrom (LIQ), Calzati (A2R), Aerts (DVL) and Halgand (C.A) has dropped to 2’40" with about 32km to go. The FDJ team continues to set the pace of the chase.

LeTour.fr contacted a consultant for the Quickstep team to find out if he though the blue-clad squad would soon start to help pursue the six escapees.
Johan Museeuw said that he didn’t see the need. "I don’t think today’s stage will end in a bunch sprint," said the Belgian.
"It’s difficult to say who could win from the lead group but I have a feeling that it will be Kessler. He looks strong..."

The points for the third intermediate sprint (in Plouay, at the 142km mark) were won by:
1. Mario Aerts (DVL) 6pts/6"
2. Dave Zabriskie (CSC) 4pts/4"
3. Kjell Carlstrom (LIQ) 2pts/2"
The peloton is now behind by 3’25".

At the top of the Cote de Ty Marrec, the peloton is behind by 3’30".

After being at the front of the stage for most of the day, the Phonak squad has ceased its effort in the chase. The pursuiting duties have been taken over by the Francaise des Jeux team. Could it be that Bernhard Eisel or Philippe Gilbert believe they have the legs to win a sprint today...?

The peloton is at the 137.5km mark and continues to be led by FDJ and Phonak. It is 3’40" behind the six escapees.

The points at the top of the final climb in stage eight, the Cote de Ty Marrec (at 138.5km) were won by:
1. Sylvan Calzati (A2R) 3pts
2. Patrice Halgand (C.A) 2pts
3. Mario Aerts (DVL) 1pt

Zabriskie (TMO), Kessler (TMO), Carlstrom (LIQ), Calzati (A2R), Aerts (DVL) and Halgand (C.A) are now on the 1.4km ascent of the Cote de Ty Marrec.

The peloton is now 45km from the finish in Lorient with a deficit of 3’50" to the escapees.

The Phonak team has been in charge of the peloton for much of the stage. The Swiss-registered squad has just received some support from Francaise des Jeux riders.
The latest check had the peloton 4’00" behind Zabriskie’s group of six.

The six men who attacked at the 47km mark are now 4’25" ahead of the peloton which continues to be led by riders from the Phonak team.
The riders at the front of the stage are: Dave Zabriskie (TMO), Matthias Kessler (TMO), Kjell Carlstrom (LIQ), Sylvain Calzati (A2R), Mario Aerts (DVL) and Patrice Halgand (C.A).

When the world championships were contested in Plouay in 2000, the rider who is currently in third place of general classification - Michael Rogers (TMO) - finished third in the under-23 time trial.
The top five of the 35.2km race on 10 October 2000 was:
1. Evgeni Petrov (RUS) 43’54"
2. Fabian Cancellara (SUI) at 52’39"
3. Michael Rogers (AUS) 1’20"
4. Dave Zabriskie (USA) 1’47"
5. Marius Sabaliauskas (LTH) 1’58"

When George Hincapie finished third in the stage to Lorient in 1998, he was elevated up the rankings to second overall just two seconds behind Bo Hamburger... it would be the closest that the American would get to the yellow jersey until stage one of this year’s Tour when he finally claimed the covetted prize - for one day...

The next climb in today’s stage is the Cote de Ty Marrec. This was the major hurdle in the 2000 world championship circuit. It’s a 1.4km long ascent with an average gradient of 5.2 per cent.
This hill is at the 138.5km mark of the eighth stage.

The 2000 world championships were contested in Plouay, which will host an intermediate sprint of today’s stage. The winner of the road race was Romans Vainsteins of Latvia, while the time trial champion six years ago was none other than yesterday’s stage winner and the current yellow jersey, Serhiy Gonchar.

When the third stage of the 1998 Tour de France concluded in Lorient, the winner was Jens Heppner of the Deutsche Telekom team (the early incarnation of T-Mobile). On that day, the German squad also had a rider in the overall lead; Erik Zabel was in the yellow jersey after the second stage. At the end of the day, however, he would drop to 10th in general classification because a nine-man escape group contested the sprint in Lorient, 1’10" ahead of the peloton.

The Phonak team continues to set the pace for the peloton. At the 112.5km mark, it was 5’10" behind Zabriskie’s group.

Two of the riders in today’s escape began the stage in 10th and 11th place overall, 2’03" behind Gonchar. Zabriskie was 10th and Kessler 11th... now that the American has just acquired a bonus of six-seconds, he has gained a slight advantage over the German.

The points and time bonus for the 2nd sprint were won by:
1. Dave Zabriskie (CSC) 6pts/6"
2. Sylvain Calzati (A2R) 4pts/4"
3. Mario Aerts (DVL) 2pts/2"

The six stage leaders about 500m from the 2nd intermediate sprint at the same time that the peloton is 5km away from the Locmalo sprint. The deficit of the bunch is 5’20".

The peloton is at the 102km mark. It is 5’20" behind the six-man escape group.
The maximum gain of Zabriskie (CSC), Kessler (TMO), Aerts (DVL), Calzati (A2R), Carlstrom (LIQ) and Halgand (C.A) was 7’30" at the 62km mark.

Today will mark the eighth time that a stage of the Tour de France will conclude in Lorient. The last time that the town in the Morbihan department hosted a finish was in 2002 when Santiago Botero beat Lance Armstrong by 11" in a 52km time trial.
Jens Heppner gave Deutsche Telekom a stage victory on the southern coast of Brittany in 1998 at the end of the first stage contested in France after the Irish ’Grand Depart’.

At the top of the 3rd climb (at the 94km mark) the peloton was 5’40" behind the six escapees.

LeTour.fr contacted one of the Credit Agricole directors to get his thoughts on the stage. Serge Beucherie is optimistic about the chances of his rider in the lead group, Patrice Halgand.
“There are signs of hope because the team-mates of the yellow jersey won’t chase the escape," said Beucherie. "The same thing applies for CSC because of Zabriskie.
"With regard to the sprinters’ teams, I think it should be obvious that we aren’t interested in chasing nor will Davitamon-Lotto be (because Aerts is present in the lead group). There are still Quickstep and Lampre who will want today’s stage to end in a bunch sprint.
"It’s possible that the escape will succeed but we have to assess the situation 50km from the finish to decide what Halgand’s chances are. In that case, we know that Kessler and Zabriskie will be the most aggressive because they have the most to gain. Perhaps it’s a good chance for Patrice to attack.”

The points at the top of the Cote de Gouarec were won by:
1. Sylvain Calzati (A2R) 3pts
2. Dave Zabriskie (CSC) 2pts
3. Mario Aerts (DVL) 1pt

The escapees are now less than 1km from the top of the Cote de Gouarec (at the 94km mark). Zabriskie’s group is now 6’00" ahead of the peloton which has just exited the feedzone (at the 88km mark).

T-Mobile has already won two stages (one for Kessler, and one for Gonchar). The German squad also is in the lead of the general classification as well as the team classification.
The time trial yesterday saw T-Mobile overtake Discovery Channel in the team rankings.

The manager of the Phonak team John Lelangue has just offered some comments about today’s stage. He told France Television that, "we’re chasing because of Kessler’s presence in the escape.
"We don’t really need to catch the leaders but we need to ensure that the move doesn’t get a big lead. We are taking our responsibility but we’ll do it pragmatically because I don’t want my riders to get too tired."
The leaders are at the 82km mark with an advantage of 6’15".

The Phonak team is in charge of the pursuit of Zabriskie, Kessler, Calzati, Carlstrom, Aerts and Halgand. The current advantage of the six escapees is 6’30".

There are six teams represented in today’s escape that is currently about 6’50" ahead of the peloton. LeTour.fr contacted one of the Davitamon-Lotto directors, Hendrik Redant, to get his thoughts on the escape. “It’s good for us," said Redant.
"It’s the perfect situation because we have someone in the break with Mario (Aerts). We know that Kessler and Zabriskie are also there so the Phonak boys will be quite nervous. It makes life good for us because there’s no pressure for us to chase but we should see the other sprint teams start to help in the chase soon."

The escapees are still 6’55" ahead of the peloton which has just crested the second summit at the 78.5km mark.

The bunch reached the summit of the first climb with a deficit to the six leaders of 6’55".

The points at the top of the Cote de Saint-Mayeux were won by:
1. Sylvain Calzati (A2R) 3pts
2. Kjell Carlstrom (LIQ) 2pts
3. Dave Zabriskie (CSC) 1pt

There are eight riders from the Phonak team at the head of the peloton. T-Mobile has the yellow jersey but the team isn’t concerned about the escape today because they have a representative, Matthias Kessler in the move.

The second summit of today’s stage is just 3.5km after the first. The Cote de Saint-Mayeux is at the 78.5km mark. It’s a 1.3km long ascent with an average gradient of 5.9 per cent.
The peloton is now 6’50" behind the leading six.

The points at the top of the first climb were won by:
1. Sylvain Calzati (A2R) 4pts
2. Mario Aerts (DVL) 3pts
3. Matthias Kessler (TMO) 2pts
4. Patrice Halgand (C.A) 1pt
At the 72km mark, the peloton was behind the leading six by 7’00".

Zabriskie (CSC), Kessler (TMO), Aerts (DVL), Calzati (A2R), Carlstrom (LIQ) and Halgand (C.A) are about to begin the ascent of the Mur-de-Bretagne.
The last time this climb was contested during the Tour de France was in stage eight of the 2004 race. Ronny Scholz (GST) won the points at the summit of this rise that is short and steep - 1.6km long with an average gradient of 7.5 per cent.

Three of the six riders in the lead today have previously won a stage of the Tour de France.
Matthias Kessler (TMO) won stage three this year in Valkenburg.
Patrick Halgand (C.A) won in Pau while a member fo the Jean Delatour team back in 2002.
And Dave Zabriskie (CSC) claimed the opening time trial last year with a record average speed in his Tour debut.
Their group is now 7’20" ahead of the peloton which is at the 67km mark.

Zabriskie (CSC), Kessler (TMO), Aerts (DVL), Calzati (A2R), Carlstrom (LIQ) and Halgand (C.A) are 7’30" ahead of the peloton which is at the 62.5km mark.

The Phonak team has come to the front of the peloton. Tucked in behind the green, white and yellow-clad squad we can see the magenta jerseys of T-Mobile. They are at the 61.5km mark.

The virtual leader of the Tour given the current advantage of the six escapees is Dave Zabriskie. The CSC rider was stung by a bee around the 55km mark. He continues to cooperate with Mario Aerts, Kjell Carlstrom, Matthias Kessler, Patrice Halgand and Sylvain Calzati.

Apologies for the previous flash which named only five of the six escapees. The other member of the lead group is Mario Aerts of Davitamon-Lotto.

The peloton is now 5’30" behind Zabriskie (CSC), Kessler (TMO), Calzati (A2R), Carlstrom (LIQ) and Halgand (C.A).

The start of the eighth stage was on wet roads but the conditions are clearing. The cloud cover is lifting, the roads are dry and the temperature is rising.

After today’s stage, the riders will be transfered to Bordeaux by plane for tomorrow’s rest day. Everything has been done by the race organizers to ensure that the contestents will be at their hotels in time to watch the start of tonight’s football World Cup final between France and Italy.

Zabriskie has indeed been stung by a bee. He’s receiving treatment from the race doctor.

Zabriskie (CSC), Kessler (TMO), Calzati (A2R), Carlstrom (LIQ) and Halgand (C.A) are now 3’30" ahead of the peloton.

Zabriskie appears to have been stung by an insect. He is part of today’s escape - and is currently the virtual leader of the Tour - but he’s called for medical assistance.

Zabriskie (CSC), Kessler (TMO), Calzati (A2R), Carlstrom (LIQ) and Halgand (C.A) are now 3’10" ahead of the peloton.

There are now six riders in the escape group. The move began at the 47km mark and Halgand set off in pursuit one kilometer later. The Credit Agricole rider has caught up with Zabriskie’s quintet.

Zabriskie’s group is now 2’20" ahead of the peloton. This means that the CSC rider is the virtual leader of the Tour.

Two of the riders in the lead of the stage were well placed in the general classification after seven stage. David Zabriskie (CSC) was 10th overall at the start of today while the winner of the stage to Valkenburg, Matthias Kessler (TMO) began the day in 11th place. Both riders were 2’03" behind Gonchar after 1,309.6km of racing in the 2006 Tour.

Zabriskie (CSC), Kessler (TMO), Calzati (A2R) and Carlstrom (LIQ) are 1’40" ahead of the peloton which has just reached the 50km mark. Halgand is still stranded in between the two groups. He is 20" behind the leading quintet.

Zabriskie (CSC), Kessler (TMO), Calzati (A2R) and Carlstrom (LIQ) appear to have established The Escape of stage eight. They are 20" ahead of one chaser, Halgand (C.A).
The yellow jersey and a number of other riders in the peloton have opted to answer the call of nature.

The five escapees are now 1’00" ahead of the peloton. The counter-attacker, Halgand, is 20" behind.

Patrice Halgand (C.A) is trying to bridge the gap to the five stage leaders.

Zabriskie (CSC), Kessler (TMO), Calzati (A2R), Aerts (DVL) and Carlstrom (LIQ) are 15" ahead of the peloton at the 48km mark.

The peloton covered 45.5km in the first hour of racing in stage eight.

The peloton is all together again. The escapees were caught at the 45.5km mark.

Voigt (CSC), Dumoulin (A2R), Etxebarria (EUS) and Grabsch (MRM) are the only riders ahead of the peloton now.

Etxebarria (EUS), Voigt (CSC), Dumoulin (A2R), Weening (RAB), Vansevenant (DVL), Garcia-Acosta (CEI), Grabsch (MRM) and Coutouly (AGR) are about to be caught by the peloton which is now just eight-seconds behind.

The peloton is now just 10" behind the eight escapees at the 41km mark. The teams responsible for the pursuit of Voigt’s crew are Lampre-Fondital and Quickstep-Innergetic.

The peloton is intent on chasing down the eight escapees who are now just 15" ahead.

The points in Plessala at the 38.0km mark were won by:
1. Samuel Dumoulin (A2R) 6pts/6"
2. Vincente Garcia-Acosta (CEI) 4pts/4"
3. Jens Voigt (CSC) 2pts/2"
The peloton was behind by 22".

The eight leaders are about to contest the first sprint. The riders involved in the escape are:
Unai Etxebarria (EUS)
Jens Voigt (CSC)
Samuel Dumoulin (A2R)
Pieter Weening (RAB)
Wim Vansevenant (DVL)
Vincente Garcia-Acosta (CEI)
Ralf Grabsch (MRM)
Cedric Coutouly (AGR)

After his recent puncture, McEwen has rejoined the peloton.

The bunch is at the 36km mark and is 30" behind the eight escapees. The peloton is being led by Bouygues Telecom, Quickstep, Lampre and T-Mobile.

The peloton is less than 5km from the intermediate sprint in Plessala (at the 38km mark). The eight escapees have an advantage on the peloton of 30".

The green jersey is getting a new rear wheel from his team car after puncturing at the 31km mark.

The peloton doesn’t appear content with the composition of the escape group. It is chasing Etxebarria (EUS), Voigt (CSC), Dumoulin (A2R), Weening (RAB), Vansevenant (DVL), Garcia-Acosta (CEI), Grabsch (MRM) and Coutouly (AGR). At the 30km mark, the bunch was 30" behind.

The peloton is 35" behind at the 29km mark. The Bouygues Telecom team has come to the front of the bunch.

The escape isn’t being allowed a big advantage. The peloton is being led by one rider from Lampre and a number of T-Mobile recruits. The latest advantage of the eight escapees was 35" at the 28km mark.

There are two riders attempting to catch the eight leaders who have an advantage of 40" on the peloton. The counter-attackers are Anthony Geslin (BTL) and Marzio Bruseghin (MRM).

The last places in the peloton are frequently held by David Moncoutie (COF) and Sandy Casar (FDJ). Again these two Frenchman are are the back of the bunch but joining them is the leader of the Gerolsteiner team, Levi Leipheimer.

One of the riders in today’s escape group of eight is Germany’s Jens Voigt. The CSC rider finished last in the 52km time trial of stage seven; losing 10’01" to Gonchar.
His team director Alain Gallopin said yesterday that it was a deliberate tactic that allowed Voigt to save some energy.

Etxebarria (EUS), Voigt (CSC), Dumoulin (A2R), Weening (RAB), Vansevenant (DVL), Garcia-Acosta (CEI), Grabsch (MRM) and Coutouly (AGR) are now 30" ahead of the peloton.

Salvatore Commesso (LAM) tried to bridge the gap to the eight leaders but he has returned to the peloton after a brief bout of aggression.

At the 21km mark, the peloton is 20" behind the eight escapees.

At the 19.5km mark, Etxebarria (EUS), Voigt (CSC), Dumoulin (A2R), Weening (RAB), Vansevenant (DVL), Garcia-Acosta (CEI), Grabsch (MRM) and Coutouly (AGR) are 17" ahead of the peloton. The group of four counter-attackers have been caught.

At the 19km mark, the peloton is 19" behind the leading group of eight riders.

The Euskaltel rider in the group of eight escapees instigated the move at the 17.5km mark. Unai Etxebarria is that man.
His group is being chase by Gilbert (FDJ), Albasini (LIQ), Moreni (COF) and Verbrugghe (COF).

Etxebarria (EUS), Voigt (CSC), Dumoulin (A2R), Weening (RAB), Vansevenant (DVL), Garcia-Acosta (CEI), Grabsch (MRM) and Coutouly (AGR) are now 10" ahead of the peloton which is at the 18km mark.

The latest attack didn’t last long. The bunch is together again at the 15km mark.

Egoi Martinez (DSC), Michael Albasini (LIQ) and Jose Luis Arrieta (A2R) have escaped the peloton at the 14km mark.

The lone attacker, Quinziato, has been caught by the peloton.

Quinziato (LIQ) has attacked the peloton at the 12.5km mark.

The 15 riders weren’t allowed much of an advantage. They have already been caught by the peloton.

Four more riders have jumped across to the escape group at the 12km mark. There are now 15 men at the front of the stage.

There are 11 riders with a slight advantage on the peloton at the 10km mark. They are only 50m ahead of the bunch... we’ll post the names of those involved if their escape attempt succeeds.

Arnaud Coyot is the rider who is currently in front of the peloton. There are a number of riders in pursuit of the Cofidis recruit.

There are a number of riders trying to establish an escape group at the 5km mark. We’ll post the names of those involved as soon as confirmation is received from Radio Tour.

There’s been no attacks yet in stage eight. The peloton has covered 3.0km and, as per usual, the last position in the bunch is held by David Moncoutie (COF).

The peloton is all together at the 1.5km mark with no early escape attempts in stage eight.

The eighth stage of the 2006 Tour de France, from Saint-Meen-le-Grand to Lorient, began at 12.32pm. There are 170 riders still in the race.

The peloton is currently rolling through the 3.3km neutral zone. There’s a light drizzle in Saint-Meen-le-Grand and the roads are wet; it’s similar to the conditions at the finish in Lorient.
The temperature at the start is 19 degrees Celsius in the air and 22 degrees t road level.

There are four climbs in today’s 181.0km stage. They are: the Cote de Mur-de-Bretagne (cat-3 at 75.0km), the Cote de Saint-Mayeux (cat-4 at 78.5km), the Cote de Gouarec (cat-4 at 94.0km) and the Cote de Ty Marrec (cat-4 at 138.5km).
Jerome Pineau (BTL) is in the lead of the climbing classification. He has 28 points, 11 more than David De la Fuente (SDV) and 13 more than Fabian Wegmann (GST).

The eighth stage boasts three intermediate sprints each carrying points for the green jersey and time bonuses for the first three riders across the line. These primes are in Plessala (at 38.0km), Locmalo (112.5km) and Plouay (142.0km).
The winner of stages two, four and six - Robbie McEwen (DVL) - leads the points classification with 157pts, 10 more than Boonen (QSI) and 22 more than Freire (RAB).

The winner of the time trial yesterday, Ukrainian T-Mobile recruit Serhiy Gonchar leads the general classification by one minute. In second place is Phonak’s Floyd Landis who, despite a bike change at the 13km mark of the 52km stage on Satureday, finished second in the time trial. Third place is held by the time trial world champion, Michael Rogers (TMO).
Tom Boonen finished 41st yesterday, 3’52" behind Gonchar. The former race leader is in 21st place after the seventh stage.

There is a short neutral zone of 3.3km at the start of stage eight. The flag is expected to fall at about 12.33pm to signal the beginning of racing on the second Sunday of the 2006 Tour.

The eighth stage of the 2006 Tour de France is from Saint-Meen-le-Grand to Lorient. The route is 181.0km long and includes four categorized climbs and three intermediate sprints.
Rain has been falling in Brittany but it’s only a light shower at the moment.
The scheduled start time is 12.25pm. Live coverage will begin shortly.