2008 Tour de France
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Tour de France was the 95th Tour de France
. The event took place from 5–27 July 2008. Starting in the French city of Brest
, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its regular final destination, which was reached in the 21st stage. The race was won by Carlos Sastre
.
Unlike previous years, time bonuses were no longer awarded for intermediate sprints and for high placement on each stage. This altered the way the General Classification
was awarded in comparison to previous seasons.
and the UCI
reached a head when the race organisers insisted upon the right to invite, or exclude, whichever teams it chose for the event. Under UCI rules, any ProTour
event must be open to all member teams of the UCI's top level. The ASO made it clear that, despite changes in team management and personnel, it intended to exclude from the event as a result its involvement in the doping scandals
that marred the 2007 Tour
and its links to the 2006 Operación Puerto doping case
. This meant that the champion (Alberto Contador
) and third-place finisher (Levi Leipheimer
) from 2007, both of whom had since signed with Astana, could not compete in the 2008 Tour.
The ASO announced on 20 March 2008 that all ProTour teams except Astana would be invited, along with three "wildcard" teams: , , and (subsequently renamed as ). With each team consisting of nine riders, 180 riders started the Tour.
The 20 teams invited to the race were:
, the 3rd place finisher Levi Leipheimer
and the 2004 and 2006 Tour de France runner up Andreas Klöden
did not compete. Ten days before the start of the tour, Contador picked Cadel Evans
as the likely winner for 2008. Shown in the table below are the riders that, according to the bookmakers in the months before the start of the 2008 Tour de France, had a chance of winning the 2008 Tour better than or equal to 25/1. The odds shown are the odds in July 2008, directly before the start of the race. Thomas Dekker
and Michael Rogers were also given odds in this range, but were not included in the Tour de France.
was worn by a sprinter who had a good prologue. At the presentation of the Tour de France 2008 schedule, Tour Director Christian Prudhomme
announced that the 2008 Tour would be different: "We have wanted a first week of racing with much more rhythm. With no prologue, an uphill finish that will suit different types of sprinters at the end of stage one, with a short time trial on stage four and the first mountain at Super-Besse only 48 hours later, we have decided to change the scenario." The time bonuses at the end of each stage were removed, and there was 82 kilometres (51 mi) of time trial
s, less than usual.
The 2008 Tour de France was almost entirely in France, with only a small part in Italy.
In the first week of the 2008 Tour de France, the stages were mostly flat. As traditionally in the Tour de France, this resulted in small breakaways of cyclists, and the sprinters' teams trying to get them back. In the first stage, the sprinters won, with Thor Hushovd
winning the stage, but in the second stage, four cyclists managed to stay away. The fourth stage was a time trial, won by Stefan Schumacher
, who took over the lead. In the fifth stage, the sprinters won the battle and Mark Cavendish
won the stage.
The Massif Central mountains were visited in stage six and seven. In stage six, all the breakaways were caught, and the favourites stayed together and finished together. In stage seven, the same scenario, only now Luis León Sánchez
managed to stay a few seconds ahead and win the stage. The eighth stage was a sprinter stage, won by Cavendish. Then, from stage nine, the Pyrénées were climbed. Riccardo Riccò
broke away from the bunch on the final climb, and won the stage. On stage 10, a group of four with some main contenders escaped, and Leonardo Piepoli
won the stage. Stage eleven had easier climbs, and a group of four riders, not important for the overall classification, were allowed to break away and win 14 minutes.
Stages twelve to fourteen were flat stages, and were dominated by the sprinters. Mark Cavendish
won another two stages, and Oscar Freire
took his first. In the fifteenth stage, a group of four cyclists escaped and stayed away, a similar thing happened in stage sixteen. In the seventeenth stage, Carlos Sastre
placed his decisive attack for the general classification, and also won the stage. The eighteenth and nineteenth stage again saw breakaways of cyclists not important for the general classification. The twentieth stage, a time trial, was won by Stefan Schumacher
who had also won the first time trial. The last stage was a sprinters' stage, won by Gert Steegmans
.
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Jersey wearers when one rider is leading two or more competitions:
really started in the sixth stage, the first mountain stage. At the beginning of that stage, the main contenders were close to each other in the general classification. All the main contenders stayed together in that sixth stage, and Kirchen wore the yellow jersey after that stage. Stages seven to nine saw only little changes, but the classification was changed in the tenth stage, when Kirchen was dropped and Evans took over the lead, only one second ahead of Fränk Schleck. This situation did not change until the fifteenth stage, after which Fränk Schleck was leading, with Kohl, Evans, Menchov, Vande Velde and Sastre all within one minute. In the sixteenth stage, Vande Velde was dropped, and Menchov lost some time. In stage seventeen, Sastre rode away on his own, and he won two minutes over everybody else, and took the lead in the general classification. The only chance to win back time that remained for the other cyclists was the time trial in stage twenty. Although it caused some changes in the top of the classification, and a narrowing of his advantage, Sastre did not lose his lead, and the following day became the winner of the general classification.
took enough hilltop points in the first eight stages to take the lead in the mountains classification
. In the ninth stage, stage winner Riccò won more and was coming in close, followed by Sebastian Lang, who was in an initial breakaway. In the tenth stage, Riccò won enough points to take over the lead. Nothing changed in stage 11.
Before stage 12, Riccò was withdrawn from the race, together De La Fuente and the rest of his team mates. The lead in the mountain classification was therefore held by Sebastian Lang, with his team mate Kohl in second place. Kohl took over the lead in the fifteenth stage. In the last mountain stage, stage seventeen, Kohl secured his mountains classification win, with Sastre in second place, with the same points as third place Fränk Schleck, but ranked above him because he had reached tops first more often.
After the race finished, the news came that Kohl had used CERA, a doping agent. His results have been removed, but second-place finisher Sastre has not been retroactively awarded the jersey.
and pulled out of the competition after stage 14. Instead, Óscar Freire, who won one stage, took the lead after stage nine, and kept leading the points classification until the end of the race.
, and so won the white jersey. Sylvain Chavanel
, who had won three daily combativity awards for his participation in breakaways, was given the supercombativity award.
By tradition, a team's winnings were pooled and shared among the riders and support team. Team CSC, the team of Tour winner Sastre, won the most prize money, more than €600,000. Saunier Duval's prize money was not awarded after the positive tests of Riccardo Riccò.
On 26 May 2008, the 2007
green jersey (points) winner Tom Boonen
tested positive for cocaine
. Since this was outside competition, Boonen was not sanctioned by the UCI
or WADA
, but he was nevertheless barred from the 2008 Tour de France.
Following protracted disagreement between the organisers of the Tour de France
(ASO
) and the UCI
, the race was sanctioned by the French cycling federation (FFC), as was the 2008 Paris–Nice in March. Thus the FFC were in charge of the doping controls before and during the race, and rather than increasing the number of doping controls during the Tour, they applied a more targeted approach on suspect riders. The anti-doping agency AFLD carried out approximately 60 random and targeted tests in the weeks leading up to the Tour. They took blood samples from all the 180 riders in a two-day period just before the first stage, and during the race took samples from up to 14 riders a day shortly after the stage was finished, 250 tests being run in total. The Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) also performed unannounced doping tests of riders at the finish of stage 15, which ended at the ski resort of Prato Nevoso
, Italy. On 3 July 2008, France enacted a law criminalizing using or trafficking in doping substances.
On 11 July news broke that Spanish rider Manuel Beltrán
tested positive for erythropoietin
after the first stage of the tour. Blood abnormalities before the tour start had led AFLD
to target the rider. Beltrán's team Liquigas withdrew him from the tour with immediate effect. French law enforcement authorities questioned Beltrán over possible offences and searched his hotel room, but he claimed his innocence. The B-Sample has not yet been tested.
On 13 July, prior to the ninth stage, it was revealed that AFLD had informed team doctors that five riders had unusually high hematocrit
levels. The Italian press reported that Riccardo Riccò
, who won the stage later that day, had been selected for testing several times during the first week, which led to a suspicion that he was among those whose teams had been notified. Riccò has for some time been known to have a naturally high hematocrit
level of 51%, above the 50%-level which usually is taken to be an indicator of possible blood manipulation
. Riccò stated that he has a license confirming that this is a natural, long-term condition, which he gave to the doping agencies before the start of the race, but he later admitted to the offence at a hearing of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI).
On 16 July Barloworld started the 11th stage without Moisés Dueñas, who had been withdrawn from the team after being tested positive for EPO at the end of the time trial fourth stage. Barloworld Ltd, two days later, announced that they were withdrawing from sponsorship after this year's Tour de France, but on 28 October, they announced that they would sponsor the team for another year.
On 17 July, shortly before the start of stage 12, Ricardo Riccò and the rest of the Saunier Duval-Scott team, withdrew from the race after the announcement that he had tested positive for MIRCERA
, a new type of EPO, at the end of stage 4. Leonardo Piepoli
, winner of stage 10, was sacked by his team for "violation of the team's ethics code" the following day, though no positive test was reported at that time. Almost 3 months later his tests came back positive for samples taken one day prior to the start of the Tour, on 4 July, and also on 15 July, on the rest day in Pau.
On the last day of the race, but after the end of the stage, Dmitry Fofonov
was announced to have tested positive for the banned stimulant heptaminol
after Stage 18. He was asked for a medical exemption to use the stimulant, but did not produce one. He was subsequently fired by his team Crédit Agricole.
After the race ended, French cyclist Jimmy Casper
was suspended from Agritubel because he tested positive after the stage to Super Besse
for glucocorticoid
s, an asthma
drug that is banned unless the user has a medical exemption for its use. Casper, an asthmatic, carried a therapeutic use exemptions (TUE) for the last twelve years but failed to renew this exemption. His authorisation expired on 29 May and was not renewed before the 2008 Tour de France. The French cycling federation's disciplinary commission exonerated Casper.
In late September it was announced that several Tour de France riders were to have their blood samples retested for traces of EPO. Pierre Bordry, the head of AFLD
, claimed the testing involved riders who were already under scrutiny for suspicious urine samples. AFLD had suspicion that there was MIRCERA in some samples but the laboratory could not say definitively. The urine tests were somewhat unreliable at giving definitive results, so the AFLD decided to order the blood samples taken before and during the Tour for additional testing with a newly developed CERA blood test.
As a result of this additional testing, both Leonardo Piepoli
and Stefan Schumacher
tested positive for the same substance which Riccò used, MIRCERA. The riders were declared positive by AFLD.
On 13 October 2008, the AFLD announced that Bernhard Kohl
, who finished in third place overall and winner of the climbers' competition, had also tested positive for MIRCERA on 3 and 15 July, before and during the Tour de France. Initial results were verified, and Kohl also confessed to doping. His third-place overall finish in the 2008 Tour and his first place in the King of the Mountains competition are considered vacancies in the Tour's official history.
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
. The event took place from 5–27 July 2008. Starting in the French city of Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its regular final destination, which was reached in the 21st stage. The race was won by Carlos Sastre
Carlos Sastre
Carlos Sastre Candil is a retired Spanish professional road bicycle racer and champion of the 2008 Tour de France. Sastre rides in 2011 for UCI Professional Continental team...
.
Unlike previous years, time bonuses were no longer awarded for intermediate sprints and for high placement on each stage. This altered the way the General Classification
Yellow jersey
The general classification in the Tour de France is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey .-History:...
was awarded in comparison to previous seasons.
Teams
Long running disputes between the event organisers, the ASOAmaury Sport Organisation
The Amaury Sport Organisation is part of the French media group, EPA . It organises sporting events including the Tour de France and Paris–Nice professional cycle road races, and the Dakar Rally...
and the UCI
Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland....
reached a head when the race organisers insisted upon the right to invite, or exclude, whichever teams it chose for the event. Under UCI rules, any ProTour
UCI ProTour
The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the UCI . Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, each of whom are required to compete in every round of the series...
event must be open to all member teams of the UCI's top level. The ASO made it clear that, despite changes in team management and personnel, it intended to exclude from the event as a result its involvement in the doping scandals
Doping at the 2007 Tour de France
The 2007 Tour de France was affected by a series of scandals and speculations related to doping. By the end of the Tour, two cyclists were dismissed for testing positive, the wearer of the yellow jersey was voluntarily retired by his team for lying about his whereabouts and missing doping tests...
that marred the 2007 Tour
2007 Tour de France
The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain...
and its links to the 2006 Operación Puerto doping case
Operación Puerto doping case
Operación Puerto is the code name of a Spanish Police operation against the doping network of Doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, started in May 2006, which resulted in a scandal that involved several of the world most famous cyclists at the time.Media attention has focused on the small number of...
. This meant that the champion (Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...
) and third-place finisher (Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer is an American professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major results are winning the 2007–2009 editions of the Tour of California, the 2006 Dauphiné Libéré and the 2005 Deutschland Tour, coming in second in the 2008 Vuelta a España, third in the 2001 Vuelta a...
) from 2007, both of whom had since signed with Astana, could not compete in the 2008 Tour.
The ASO announced on 20 March 2008 that all ProTour teams except Astana would be invited, along with three "wildcard" teams: , , and (subsequently renamed as ). With each team consisting of nine riders, 180 riders started the Tour.
The 20 teams invited to the race were:
Pre-race favourites
Because was not invited to the 2008 Tour de France, the winner of the 2007 Tour de France, Alberto ContadorAlberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...
, the 3rd place finisher Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer is an American professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major results are winning the 2007–2009 editions of the Tour of California, the 2006 Dauphiné Libéré and the 2005 Deutschland Tour, coming in second in the 2008 Vuelta a España, third in the 2001 Vuelta a...
and the 2004 and 2006 Tour de France runner up Andreas Klöden
Andreas Klöden
Andreas Klöden is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major achievements include a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and second place in the 2004 Tour de France and 2006 Tour de France...
did not compete. Ten days before the start of the tour, Contador picked Cadel Evans
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in...
as the likely winner for 2008. Shown in the table below are the riders that, according to the bookmakers in the months before the start of the 2008 Tour de France, had a chance of winning the 2008 Tour better than or equal to 25/1. The odds shown are the odds in July 2008, directly before the start of the race. Thomas Dekker
Thomas Dekker (cyclist)
Thomas Dekker is a Dutch professional road bicycle racer for Garmin-Cervélo’s development team, Chipotle Development Team. His career highlights include winning Tirreno-Adriatico in 2006 and Tour de Romandie in 2007...
and Michael Rogers were also given odds in this range, but were not included in the Tour de France.
| Rider | Team | Notes | Decimal Odds July 2008 |
Position Final Standings (time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadel Evans Cadel Evans Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in... |
2nd place 2007 Tour de France 2007 Tour de France The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain... |
3.25 | 2nd (+ 58") | |
| Alejandro Valverde Alejandro Valverde Alejandro Valverde Belmonte is a Spanish road racing cyclist currently under suspension. He last rode for UCI ProTour team . Valverde's biggest wins have been the 2009 Vuelta a España, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2006, 2008 and 2006 UCI ProTour series championship... |
6th place 2007 Tour de France 2007 Tour de France The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain... |
4.50 | 9th (+ 7' 12") | |
| Denis Menchov Denis Menchov Denis Nikolayevich Menchov , born 25 January 1978 in Oryol, is a professional Russian road bicycle racer for . He is a general classification rider and a climber. In 2005 he won the Vuelta a España, which he won for a second time in 2007... |
5th place in 2006 Tour de France 2006 Tour de France The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 23, 2006. It was won by Óscar Pereiro following the disqualification of apparent winner Floyd Landis.... |
7.00 | 4th (+ 2' 10") | |
| Carlos Sastre Carlos Sastre Carlos Sastre Candil is a retired Spanish professional road bicycle racer and champion of the 2008 Tour de France. Sastre rides in 2011 for UCI Professional Continental team... |
4th place in 2007 Tour de France 2007 Tour de France The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain... |
11.00 | 1st (87h 52' 52") | |
| Damiano Cunego Damiano Cunego Damiano Cunego is an Italian professional road racing cyclist who rides for the Italian UCI ProTeam . His biggest wins are the 2004 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Amstel Gold Race, and the Giro di Lombardia in 2004, 2007, 2008. He finished second in the UCI Road World Championships in 2008 and in the... |
Best young rider 2006 Tour de France 2006 Tour de France The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 23, 2006. It was won by Óscar Pereiro following the disqualification of apparent winner Floyd Landis.... |
11.00 | Did not start stage 19 | |
| Andy Schleck Andy Schleck Andy Raymond Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, who also rides for . Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974... |
2nd place 2007 Giro d'Italia 2007 Giro d'Italia The 2007 Giro d'Italia was the 90th running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place from 12 May to 3 June 2007. The race began in Sardinia and finished in Milan, and featured five mountain top finishes, of which one was an individual time trial... |
13.00 | 12th (+ 11' 32") | |
| Roman Kreuziger Roman Kreuziger Roman Kreuziger is a Czech professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Kreuziger is an all-rounder, with climbing and time trial abilities, becoming a contender for the General Classification of stage races... |
1st 2008 Tour de Suisse | 21.00 | 13th (+ 12' 59") | |
| Mauricio Soler Mauricio Soler Juan Mauricio Soler Hernández is a Colombian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . He competed in the Tour de France for the first time in 2007, winning stage 9 having broken away on the Col du Galibier. He won that year's King of the Mountains title. Soler stated the stage win... |
King of Mountains 2007 Tour de France 2007 Tour de France The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain... |
26.00 | Did not finish stage 5 | |
| Samuel Sánchez Samuel Sánchez Samuel Sánchez González is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He was the gold medal winner in the 2008 Beijing Olympics Men's Road Race. In recent years Sánchez has proven himself in hilly classics and stage races as one of the most important riders in the peloton... |
3rd place 2007 Vuelta a España 2007 Vuelta a España The 2007 Vuelta a España, the sixty-second edition of the cycle race, took place from September 1 until September 23, 2007. For the first time in a decade, the race started in the region of Galicia, at Vigo, home to Óscar Pereiro, with a flat stage... |
26.00 | 7th (+ 6' 25") | |
| Stijn Devolder Stijn Devolder Stijn Devolder is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. He rides for UCI ProTeam , having ridden for Discovery Channel between 2004 and 2007 and from 2008 to 2010. Devolder won his first professional race at the 2004 Four Days of Dunkirk, winning stage 4... |
Winner 2008 Ronde Van Vlaanderen | 26.00 | Did not finish stage 15 | |
| Haimar Zubeldia Haimar Zubeldia Haimar Zubeldia Agirre is a Spanish professional road racing cyclist who rides for on the UCI ProTour.... |
5th in 2007 Tour de France 2007 Tour de France The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain... |
26.00 | 45th (+ 1h 27' 00") | |
| Kim Kirchen Kim Kirchen Kim Kirchen is a former Luxembourg road racing cyclist.-Career:Kirchen signed as a professional cyclist in 2000 with De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa, and went on to join in 2001... |
7th place 2007 Tour de France 2007 Tour de France The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain... |
34.00 | 8th (+ 6' 55") | |
| Riccardo Riccò Riccardo Riccò Riccardo Riccò is a professional road bicycle racer from Italy, currently under contract to UCI Continental team Meridiana-Kamen, and suspended from competition. He was ejected from the 2008 Tour de France for doping violations and suspended... |
2nd place 2008 Giro d'Italia 2008 Giro d'Italia The 2008 Giro d'Italia was the 91st running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It began in Palermo on 10 May and ended in Milan on 1 June. Twenty-two teams entered the race, which was won by Spaniard Alberto Contador of the cycling team... |
34.00 | Did not start stage 12 |
| Did not finish |
| Finished in Top 5 |
Stages
In previous years, the Tour started with a prologue, followed by a week of flat stages. The flat stages were dominated by the sprinters' teams, and the yellow jerseyYellow jersey
The general classification in the Tour de France is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey .-History:...
was worn by a sprinter who had a good prologue. At the presentation of the Tour de France 2008 schedule, Tour Director Christian Prudhomme
Christian Prudhomme
Christian Prudhomme is a French sports journalist and general director of the Tour de France since 2005.-Pre-Tour career:...
announced that the 2008 Tour would be different: "We have wanted a first week of racing with much more rhythm. With no prologue, an uphill finish that will suit different types of sprinters at the end of stage one, with a short time trial on stage four and the first mountain at Super-Besse only 48 hours later, we have decided to change the scenario." The time bonuses at the end of each stage were removed, and there was 82 kilometres (51 mi) of time trial
Time trial
In many racing sports an athlete will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. In cycling, for example, a time trial can be a single track cycling event, or an individual or team time trial on the road, and either or both of the latter may form components of...
s, less than usual.
The 2008 Tour de France was almost entirely in France, with only a small part in Italy.
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 July | Brest Brest, France Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon... – Plumelec Plumelec Plumelec is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.-References:* * -External links:* * *... |
197.5 km (122.7 mi) |  |
Flat stage | ||
| 2 | 6 July | Auray Auray Auray is a commune located in the Morbihan department of Brittany in France. Inhabitants of Auray are called Alréens.-Geography:The city is surrounded by the communes of Crac'h to the south and west, Brech to the north and Pluneret to the east. It is crossed by the Loch, a small coastal river... – Saint-Brieuc Saint-Brieuc Saint-Brieuc is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.-History:Saint-Brieuc is named after a Welsh monk Brioc, who evangelized the region in the 6th century and established an oratory there... |
164.5 km (102.2 mi) | |
Flat stage | ||
| 3 | 7 July | Saint-Malo Saint-Malo Saint-Malo is a walled port city in Brittany in northwestern France on the English Channel. It is a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine.-Demographics:The population can increase to up to 200,000 in the summer tourist season... – Nantes Nantes Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants.... |
208 km (129.2 mi) | |
Flat stage | ||
| 4 | 8 July | Cholet Cholet Cholet is a commune of western France in the Maine-et-Loire department. It was the capital of military Vendée.-Geography:Cholet stands on an eminence on the right bank of the Moine, which used to be crossed by a bridge from the fifteenth century... – Cholet Cholet Cholet is a commune of western France in the Maine-et-Loire department. It was the capital of military Vendée.-Geography:Cholet stands on an eminence on the right bank of the Moine, which used to be crossed by a bridge from the fifteenth century... |
29.5 km (18.3 mi) |  |
Individual time trial Individual time trial An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials... |
None* | |
| 5 | 9 July | Cholet Cholet Cholet is a commune of western France in the Maine-et-Loire department. It was the capital of military Vendée.-Geography:Cholet stands on an eminence on the right bank of the Moine, which used to be crossed by a bridge from the fifteenth century... – Châteauroux Châteauroux Châteauroux is the capital of the Indre department in central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called Castelroussines or Castelroussins.... |
232 km (144.2 mi) | |
Flat stage | ||
| 6 | 10 July | Aigurande Aigurande Aigurande is a commune in the Indre department in central France.-History:The town's name derives from the Gallic word "Equoranda", which refers to a river or stream separating two Gallic tribes Aigurande is a commune in the Indre department in central France.-History:The town's name derives from... – Super-Besse Sancy |
195.5 km (121.5 mi) |  |
Transition stage | None* | |
| 7 | 11 July | Brioude Brioude Brioude is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in the Auvergne region in south-central France. It lies on the banks of the River Allier, a tributary of the Loire.-History:... – Aurillac Aurillac Aurillac is a commune in the Auvergne region in south-central France, capital of the Cantal department.Aurillac's inhabitants are called Aurillacois, and are also Cantaliens or Cantalous in Occitan.... |
159 km (98.8 mi) | |
Transition stage | ||
| 8 | 12 July | Figeac Figeac Figeac is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France.Figeac is a sub-prefecture of the department.-History:Figeac is on the via Podiensis, a major hiking medieval pilgrimage trail which is part of the Way of St. James... – Toulouse Toulouse Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea... |
172.5 km (107.2 mi) | |
Flat stage | ||
| 9 | 13 July | Toulouse Toulouse Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea... – Bagnères-de-Bigorre Bagnères-de-Bigorre Bagnères-de-Bigorre is a French commune in the south-western Hautes-Pyrénées department, of which it is a sub-prefecture.-Notable people:Bagnères-de-Bigorre was the birthplace of:*Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke... |
224 km (139.2 mi) |  |
Mountain stage | None* | |
| 10 | 14 July | Pau – Hautacam Hautacam Hautacam is a ski resort in the Pyrenees. It is situated in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, in the Midi-Pyrénées region. The winter sports station lies at a height of 1560 meters... |
156 km (96.9 mi) | |
Mountain stage | ||
| 15 July | Rest day | ||||||
| 11 | 16 July | Lannemezan Lannemezan Lannemezan is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-Geography:The Petite Baïse has its source in the commune.Lannemezan is around 30 km east of Tarbes, and around 100 km south-west of Toulouse.-References:*... – Foix Foix Foix is a commune, the capital of the Ariège department in southwestern France. It is the least populous administrative centre of a department in all of France, although it is only very slightly smaller than Privas... |
167.5 km (104.1 mi) | |
Transition stage | ||
| 12 | 17 July | Lavelanet Lavelanet Lavelanet is a commune in the Ariège department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southwestern France.-Population:Its inhabitants are called Lavelanetiens.-Tour de France:... – Narbonne Narbonne Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea... |
168.5 km (104.7 mi) | |
Flat stage | ||
| 13 | 18 July | Narbonne Narbonne Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea... – Nîmes Nîmes Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:... |
182 km (113.1 mi) | |
Flat stage | ||
| 14 | 19 July | Nîmes Nîmes Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:... – Digne-les-Bains Digne-les-Bains Digne-les-Bains or simply and historically Digne is a commune of France, capital of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department.-History:... |
194.5 km (120.9 mi) | |
Flat stage | ||
| 15 | 20 July | Embrun Embrun, Hautes-Alpes Embrun is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-Description:... – Prato Nevoso Prato Nevoso Prato Nevoso is a ski and holiday resort in northern Italy. It is located at 1480 m above sea level, in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont, within the municipal boundaries of the comune of Frabosa Sottana, of which it is a frazione, some four kilometres south of its centre.-History:Prato... |
183 km (113.7 mi) | |
Mountain stage | ||
| 21 July | Rest day | ||||||
| 16 | 22 July | Cuneo Cuneo Cuneo is a city and comune in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the third largest of Italy’s provinces by area... – Jausiers Jausiers Jausiers is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*... |
157 km (97.6 mi) | |
Mountain stage | ||
| 17 | 23 July | Embrun Embrun, Hautes-Alpes Embrun is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-Description:... – Alpe d'Huez Alpe d'Huez L'Alpe d'Huez is a ski resort at . It is a mountain pasture in the Central French Alps, in the commune of Huez, in the Isère département in the Rhône-Alpes region.-Tour de France:L'Alpe d'Huez is one of the main mountains in the Tour de France... |
210.5 km (130.8 mi) | |
Mountain stage | ||
| 18 | 24 July | Bourg-d'Oisans – Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon... |
196.5 km (122.1 mi) | |
Transition stage | ||
| 19 | 25 July | Roanne Roanne Roanne is a commune in the Loire department in central France.It is located northwest of Lyon on the Loire River.-Economy:... – Montluçon Montluçon Montluçon is a commune in central France. It is the largest commune in the Allier department, although the department's préfecture is located in the smaller town of Moulins. Its inhabitants are known as Montluçonnais... |
165.5 km (102.8 mi) | |
Flat stage | ||
| 20 | 26 July | Cérilly Cérilly, Allier Cérilly is a commune in the Allier department in central France.It is in close proximity to the largest and oldest untouched oak forest in western Europe : the Forest of Tronçais. Many oak trees exceed 250 years in age... – Saint-Amand-Montrond Saint-Amand-Montrond Saint-Amand-Montrond is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre region of France.-Geography:A small town of farming and a little light industry situated some southeast of Bourges, at the junction of the D951 with the D300 and D2144 roads.... |
53 km (32.9 mi) | |
Individual time trial Individual time trial An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials... |
None* | |
| 21 | 27 July | Étampes Étampes Étampes is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southwest from the center of Paris . Étampes is a sub-prefecture of the Essonne department.... – Paris (Champs-Élysées Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is... ) |
143 km (88.9 mi) | |
Flat stage | ||
| Total: 3559.5 km (2,211.8 mi) | |||||||
In the first week of the 2008 Tour de France, the stages were mostly flat. As traditionally in the Tour de France, this resulted in small breakaways of cyclists, and the sprinters' teams trying to get them back. In the first stage, the sprinters won, with Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road...
winning the stage, but in the second stage, four cyclists managed to stay away. The fourth stage was a time trial, won by Stefan Schumacher
Stefan Schumacher
Stefan Schumacher is a German professional road racing cyclist.-Career:First professionally employed with Team Telekom in 2002, he was released the following year...
, who took over the lead. In the fifth stage, the sprinters won the battle and Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...
won the stage.
The Massif Central mountains were visited in stage six and seven. In stage six, all the breakaways were caught, and the favourites stayed together and finished together. In stage seven, the same scenario, only now Luis León Sánchez
Luis León Sánchez
Luis León Sánchez Gil is a Spanish road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He is also known as Lulu Sanchez. He rode for team Liberty Seguros-Würth from 2004 until 2006, when he moved to the Caisse d'Epargne team following the collapse of the Liberty Seguros-Würth team in the wake of the Operación...
managed to stay a few seconds ahead and win the stage. The eighth stage was a sprinter stage, won by Cavendish. Then, from stage nine, the Pyrénées were climbed. Riccardo Riccò
Riccardo Riccò
Riccardo Riccò is a professional road bicycle racer from Italy, currently under contract to UCI Continental team Meridiana-Kamen, and suspended from competition. He was ejected from the 2008 Tour de France for doping violations and suspended...
broke away from the bunch on the final climb, and won the stage. On stage 10, a group of four with some main contenders escaped, and Leonardo Piepoli
Leonardo Piepoli
Leonardo Piepoli is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. He most recently rode for on the UCI ProTour, but had his contract suspended in July 2008 during the Tour de France amid allegations of the use of the blood boosting drug EPO in the team.-Career:He is a record four-time winner of the...
won the stage. Stage eleven had easier climbs, and a group of four riders, not important for the overall classification, were allowed to break away and win 14 minutes.
Stages twelve to fourteen were flat stages, and were dominated by the sprinters. Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...
won another two stages, and Oscar Freire
Óscar Freire
Óscar Freire Gómez is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, riding for the UCI ProTeam Rabobank. He is one of the top sprinters in road bicycle racing, having won the world championship a three times, equalling Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx...
took his first. In the fifteenth stage, a group of four cyclists escaped and stayed away, a similar thing happened in stage sixteen. In the seventeenth stage, Carlos Sastre
Carlos Sastre
Carlos Sastre Candil is a retired Spanish professional road bicycle racer and champion of the 2008 Tour de France. Sastre rides in 2011 for UCI Professional Continental team...
placed his decisive attack for the general classification, and also won the stage. The eighteenth and nineteenth stage again saw breakaways of cyclists not important for the general classification. The twentieth stage, a time trial, was won by Stefan Schumacher
Stefan Schumacher
Stefan Schumacher is a German professional road racing cyclist.-Career:First professionally employed with Team Telekom in 2002, he was released the following year...
who had also won the first time trial. The last stage was a sprinters' stage, won by Gert Steegmans
Gert Steegmans
Gert Steegmans is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who rides for UCI ProTeam . He has a strong finishing sprint and can compete in the sprint with fellow Belgian cyclist Tom Boonen.-Career overview:...
.
Classification leadership
| Stage | Winner | General classification |
Points classification Points classification in the Tour de France The points classification in the Tour de France is a secondary competition in the Tour de France, that started in 1953. Points are given for high finishes in a stage and for winning intermediate sprints, and these are recorded in a points classification. It is considered a sprinters' competition...  |
Mountains classification |
Young rider classification Young rider classification in the Tour de France -History:From 1968 to 1975, there was a white jersey awarded in the Tour de France to the lead rider in the combination classification . In 1975, this classification was removed, and replaced by the Best Young Rider Classification...  |
Team classification Team classification The team classification is a prize given in the Tour de France to the best team in the race. It has been awarded since 1930, and the calculation has changed throughout the years.-Calculation:...  |
Combativity award Combativity award The combativity award, , is a prize given in the Tour de France. It favours constant attackers and since 1981 the winner of the award has not won the whole Tour.- History :...  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alejandro Valverde Alejandro Valverde Alejandro Valverde Belmonte is a Spanish road racing cyclist currently under suspension. He last rode for UCI ProTour team . Valverde's biggest wins have been the 2009 Vuelta a España, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2006, 2008 and 2006 UCI ProTour series championship... |
Alejandro Valverde Alejandro Valverde Alejandro Valverde Belmonte is a Spanish road racing cyclist currently under suspension. He last rode for UCI ProTour team . Valverde's biggest wins have been the 2009 Vuelta a España, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2006, 2008 and 2006 UCI ProTour series championship... |
Alejandro Valverde Alejandro Valverde Alejandro Valverde Belmonte is a Spanish road racing cyclist currently under suspension. He last rode for UCI ProTour team . Valverde's biggest wins have been the 2009 Vuelta a España, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2006, 2008 and 2006 UCI ProTour series championship... |
Thomas Voeckler Thomas Voeckler Thomas Voeckler is a French professional road racing cyclist who rides for the cycling team.- Biography :Voeckler has been a professional cyclist since 2001. He rides for , formerly known as Bbox Bouygues Telecom, Bouygues Télécom, Brioches la Boulangère, and Bonjour... |
Riccardo Riccò Riccardo Riccò Riccardo Riccò is a professional road bicycle racer from Italy, currently under contract to UCI Continental team Meridiana-Kamen, and suspended from competition. He was ejected from the 2008 Tour de France for doping violations and suspended... |
Lilian Jegou Lilian Jégou Lilian Jégou is a French road racing cyclist.Jégou made his professional debut in 2002 when he signed for Crédit Agricole as stagiaire. A year later he would make his Tour de France debut, but withdrew after stage 8 which led to l'Alpe d'Huez... |
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| 2 | Thor Hushovd Thor Hushovd Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road... |
Kim Kirchen Kim Kirchen Kim Kirchen is a former Luxembourg road racing cyclist.-Career:Kirchen signed as a professional cyclist in 2000 with De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa, and went on to join in 2001... |
Sylvain Chavanel Sylvain Chavanel Sylvain Chavanel Albira is a French professional road bicycle racer. His brother Sébastien Chavanel is also a cyclist.Chavanel started his professional career in 2000 with Jean-René Bernaudeau's team Bonjour, which became Brioches La Boulangère in 2003... |
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| 3 | Samuel Dumoulin Samuel Dumoulin Samuel Dumoulin is a French professional road bicycle racer who rides for Cofidis.-Amateur career:Dumoulin rode as an amateur for the TCCT . He won the national youth championship in 1996, then the éspoir Paris–Tours and Paris-Auxerre in 2001. He turned professional in 2002 for Jean Delatour... |
Romain Feillu Romain Feillu Romain Feillu is a French road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam . He is the older brother of Brice Feillu, who is also a road racing cyclist.... |
Romain Feillu Romain Feillu Romain Feillu is a French road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam . He is the older brother of Brice Feillu, who is also a road racing cyclist.... |
William Frischkorn | |||
| 4 | Kim Kirchen Kim Kirchen Kim Kirchen is a former Luxembourg road racing cyclist.-Career:Kirchen signed as a professional cyclist in 2000 with De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa, and went on to join in 2001... |
Stefan Schumacher Stefan Schumacher Stefan Schumacher is a German professional road racing cyclist.-Career:First professionally employed with Team Telekom in 2002, he was released the following year... |
Thomas Lövkvist Thomas Lövkvist Thomas Löfkvist is a Swedish professional road bicycle racer riding for the UCI ProTour . He became the youngest Swedish professional road bicycle racer when he started his professional bicycling career in at the age of 19 in 2004... |
no award | |||
| 5 | Mark Cavendish Mark Cavendish Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season... |
Thor Hushovd Thor Hushovd Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road... |
Nicolas Vogondy Nicolas Vogondy Nicolas Vogondy is a French road racing cyclist who rides for UCI Professional Continental team .Vogondy won the Tour de Lorraine in 1995 as a junior. He became a professional rider in 1997 when he signed for Française des Jeux. His first professional win came in that same year when he won the... |
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| 6 | Alejandro Valverde Alejandro Valverde Alejandro Valverde Belmonte is a Spanish road racing cyclist currently under suspension. He last rode for UCI ProTour team . Valverde's biggest wins have been the 2009 Vuelta a España, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2006, 2008 and 2006 UCI ProTour series championship... |
Kim Kirchen Kim Kirchen Kim Kirchen is a former Luxembourg road racing cyclist.-Career:Kirchen signed as a professional cyclist in 2000 with De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa, and went on to join in 2001... |
Kim Kirchen Kim Kirchen Kim Kirchen is a former Luxembourg road racing cyclist.-Career:Kirchen signed as a professional cyclist in 2000 with De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa, and went on to join in 2001... |
Sylvain Chavanel Sylvain Chavanel Sylvain Chavanel Albira is a French professional road bicycle racer. His brother Sébastien Chavanel is also a cyclist.Chavanel started his professional career in 2000 with Jean-René Bernaudeau's team Bonjour, which became Brioches La Boulangère in 2003... |
Sylvain Chavanel Sylvain Chavanel Sylvain Chavanel Albira is a French professional road bicycle racer. His brother Sébastien Chavanel is also a cyclist.Chavanel started his professional career in 2000 with Jean-René Bernaudeau's team Bonjour, which became Brioches La Boulangère in 2003... |
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| 7 | Luis León Sánchez Luis León Sánchez Luis León Sánchez Gil is a Spanish road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He is also known as Lulu Sanchez. He rode for team Liberty Seguros-Würth from 2004 until 2006, when he moved to the Caisse d'Epargne team following the collapse of the Liberty Seguros-Würth team in the wake of the Operación... |
David de la Fuente David De La Fuente David de la Fuente Rasilla is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He rides for the cycling team. De la Fuente led the mountains classification of the 2006 Tour de France for a number of stages, donning the Polka Dot jersey after stage 2, and then again after stage 11 until Michael... |
Luis León Sánchez Luis León Sánchez Luis León Sánchez Gil is a Spanish road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He is also known as Lulu Sanchez. He rode for team Liberty Seguros-Würth from 2004 until 2006, when he moved to the Caisse d'Epargne team following the collapse of the Liberty Seguros-Würth team in the wake of the Operación... |
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| 8 | Mark Cavendish Mark Cavendish Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season... |
Óscar Freire Óscar Freire Óscar Freire Gómez is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, riding for the UCI ProTeam Rabobank. He is one of the top sprinters in road bicycle racing, having won the world championship a three times, equalling Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx... |
Laurent Lefevre Laurent Lefèvre Laurent Lefèvre is a French former professional road bicycle racer, last for UCI Professional Continental team... |
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| 9 | Vladimir Efimkin Vladimir Efimkin Vladimir Alexandrovich Efimkin is a Russian professional road bicycle racer, who as of 2011 rides along his twin brother Alexander Efimkin on... |
Kim Kirchen Kim Kirchen Kim Kirchen is a former Luxembourg road racing cyclist.-Career:Kirchen signed as a professional cyclist in 2000 with De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa, and went on to join in 2001... |
Andy Schleck Andy Schleck Andy Raymond Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, who also rides for . Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974... |
Sebastian Lang Sebastian Lang Sebastian Lang is a German professional road bicycle racer and time trialist for UCI ProTour team . He rode on Team Gerolsteiner from 2002 until its demise in 2008, and in 2006 became Germany's national time trial champion.... |
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| 10 | Juan Jose Cobo Juan José Cobo Juan José Cobo Acebo is a Spanish professional road racing cyclist who currently races for . He won the 2011 Vuelta a España, his first major title.He is considered a climber who also is able to time trial.... |
Cadel Evans Cadel Evans Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in... |
Óscar Freire Óscar Freire Óscar Freire Gómez is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, riding for the UCI ProTeam Rabobank. He is one of the top sprinters in road bicycle racing, having won the world championship a three times, equalling Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx... |
Riccardo Riccò Riccardo Riccò Riccardo Riccò is a professional road bicycle racer from Italy, currently under contract to UCI Continental team Meridiana-Kamen, and suspended from competition. He was ejected from the 2008 Tour de France for doping violations and suspended... |
Riccardo Riccò Riccardo Riccò Riccardo Riccò is a professional road bicycle racer from Italy, currently under contract to UCI Continental team Meridiana-Kamen, and suspended from competition. He was ejected from the 2008 Tour de France for doping violations and suspended... |
Rémy Di Gregorio Rémy Di Gregorio Rémy Di Gregorio is a French professional road bicycle racer. He currently rides for , but will move to for the 2012 season.... |
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| 11 | Kurt Asle Arvesen Kurt Asle Arvesen Kurt Asle Arvesen is a former Norwegian professional road bicycle racer for . Arvesen is from Eresfjord, Nesset. From 2012 he will be manager of .... |
Amaël Moinard Amaël Moinard Amaël Moinard is a French professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .- Palmares :2006... |
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| 12 | Mark Cavendish Mark Cavendish Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season... |
Sebastian Lang Sebastian Lang Sebastian Lang is a German professional road bicycle racer and time trialist for UCI ProTour team . He rode on Team Gerolsteiner from 2002 until its demise in 2008, and in 2006 became Germany's national time trial champion.... |
Vincenzo Nibali Vincenzo Nibali Vincenzo Nibali is an Italian professional road bicycle racer who rides UCI ProTeam . Born near the Strait of Messina, Nibali's nickname is the "shark of the strait" or simply "the shark." His first major win came at the 2006 GP Ouest-France, where he beat an impressive field on a tough course... |
Arnaud Gérard Arnaud Gérard Arnaud Gérard is a French professional road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team - Palmarès :* Paris-Tours - 10th * Combative Rider for Stage 12, Tour de France... |
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| 13 | Mark Cavendish Mark Cavendish Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season... |
Niki Terpstra Niki Terpstra Niki Terpstra is a Dutch racing cyclist with UCI ProTeam . He is the silver medal winner of the team pursuit in the 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, together with Levi Heimans, Jens Mouris and Peter Schep... |
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| 14 | Óscar Freire Óscar Freire Óscar Freire Gómez is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, riding for the UCI ProTeam Rabobank. He is one of the top sprinters in road bicycle racing, having won the world championship a three times, equalling Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx... |
José Ivan Gutierrez | |||||
| 15 | Simon Gerrans Simon Gerrans Simon Gerrans is an Australian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for the British UCI ProTour team, .-Biography:Gerrans was born in Melbourne, Victoria and grew up in Mansfield, Victoria.... |
Fränk Schleck Fränk Schleck Fränk René Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . At the start of 2005, Schleck was joined by his younger brother Andy on , and they split the 2005 national championships between them, with Fränk winning the road race and Andy winning the time trial... |
Bernhard Kohl thumb|Bernhard Kohl wears the polka dot jersey of theTour the France at the city centre criterium inWels on 30 July 2008Bernhard Kohl is an Austrian former professional road bicycle racer and recognized climbing specialist... |
Egoi Martínez Egoi Martínez Egoi Martínez de Esteban is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam Euskaltel-Euskadi. In his first Tour de France, Martínez finished 41st overall at the 2004 Tour de France.... |
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| 16 | Cyril Dessel Cyril Dessel Cyril Dessel is a French professional road racing cyclist for on the UCI ProTour. He made his professional debut in 2000.In 2006, he won the Tour Méditerranéen on the UCI Europe Tour... |
Andy Schleck Andy Schleck Andy Raymond Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, who also rides for . Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974... |
Stefan Schumacher Stefan Schumacher Stefan Schumacher is a German professional road racing cyclist.-Career:First professionally employed with Team Telekom in 2002, he was released the following year... |
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| 17 | Carlos Sastre Carlos Sastre Carlos Sastre Candil is a retired Spanish professional road bicycle racer and champion of the 2008 Tour de France. Sastre rides in 2011 for UCI Professional Continental team... |
Carlos Sastre Carlos Sastre Carlos Sastre Candil is a retired Spanish professional road bicycle racer and champion of the 2008 Tour de France. Sastre rides in 2011 for UCI Professional Continental team... |
Peter Velits Peter Velits Peter Velits is a Slovak professional road racing cyclist for . His career highlights include winning the 2007 UCI Road World Championships - Men's Under-23 Road Race. His twin brother, Martin Velits rides on as well. In 2012 Martin and Peter will be riding for Quick-Step .- Palmares:2003... |
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| 18 | Marcus Burghardt Marcus Burghardt Marcus Burghardt is a German professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for UCI ProTeam .Burghardt turned pro in 2005, having already raced as an amateur in the U-23 Wiesenhof team, with which he had already tasted success in the shape of the overall win at the Bundesliga Gerlingen in 2004... |
Marcus Burghardt Marcus Burghardt Marcus Burghardt is a German professional road bicycle racer, currently riding for UCI ProTeam .Burghardt turned pro in 2005, having already raced as an amateur in the U-23 Wiesenhof team, with which he had already tasted success in the shape of the overall win at the Bundesliga Gerlingen in 2004... |
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| 19 | Sylvain Chavanel Sylvain Chavanel Sylvain Chavanel Albira is a French professional road bicycle racer. His brother Sébastien Chavanel is also a cyclist.Chavanel started his professional career in 2000 with Jean-René Bernaudeau's team Bonjour, which became Brioches La Boulangère in 2003... |
Sylvain Chavanel Sylvain Chavanel Sylvain Chavanel Albira is a French professional road bicycle racer. His brother Sébastien Chavanel is also a cyclist.Chavanel started his professional career in 2000 with Jean-René Bernaudeau's team Bonjour, which became Brioches La Boulangère in 2003... |
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| 20 | None * | no award | |||||
| 21 | Gert Steegmans Gert Steegmans Gert Steegmans is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who rides for UCI ProTeam . He has a strong finishing sprint and can compete in the sprint with fellow Belgian cyclist Tom Boonen.-Career overview:... |
Nicolas Vogondy Nicolas Vogondy Nicolas Vogondy is a French road racing cyclist who rides for UCI Professional Continental team .Vogondy won the Tour de Lorraine in 1995 as a junior. He became a professional rider in 1997 when he signed for Française des Jeux. His first professional win came in that same year when he won the... |
|||||
| Final | Carlos Sastre Carlos Sastre Carlos Sastre Candil is a retired Spanish professional road bicycle racer and champion of the 2008 Tour de France. Sastre rides in 2011 for UCI Professional Continental team... |
Óscar Freire Óscar Freire Óscar Freire Gómez is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, riding for the UCI ProTeam Rabobank. He is one of the top sprinters in road bicycle racing, having won the world championship a three times, equalling Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx... |
None | Andy Schleck Andy Schleck Andy Raymond Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, who also rides for . Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974... |
Sylvain Chavanel Sylvain Chavanel Sylvain Chavanel Albira is a French professional road bicycle racer. His brother Sébastien Chavanel is also a cyclist.Chavanel started his professional career in 2000 with Jean-René Bernaudeau's team Bonjour, which became Brioches La Boulangère in 2003... |
||
- In stage 2, Philippe GilbertPhilippe GilbertPhilippe Gilbert is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Gilbert is a classics specialist...
wore the green jersey - In stage 4, Andy SchleckAndy SchleckAndy Raymond Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, who also rides for . Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974...
wore the white jersey - In stage 7, Thor HushovdThor HushovdThor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road...
wore the green jersey - In stages 8 and 10, Óscar FreireÓscar FreireÓscar Freire Gómez is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, riding for the UCI ProTeam Rabobank. He is one of the top sprinters in road bicycle racing, having won the world championship a three times, equalling Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx...
wore the green jersey - In stages 11 and 12, Vincenzo NibaliVincenzo NibaliVincenzo Nibali is an Italian professional road bicycle racer who rides UCI ProTeam . Born near the Strait of Messina, Nibali's nickname is the "shark of the strait" or simply "the shark." His first major win came at the 2006 GP Ouest-France, where he beat an impressive field on a tough course...
wore the white jersey. - In stage 12, no-one wore the polka-dot jersey, due to Riccardo RiccòRiccardo RiccòRiccardo Riccò is a professional road bicycle racer from Italy, currently under contract to UCI Continental team Meridiana-Kamen, and suspended from competition. He was ejected from the 2008 Tour de France for doping violations and suspended...
's withdrawal.
General Classification
The battle for the general classificationGeneral Classification
The general classification in bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for bicycle riders in multi-stage bicycle races...
really started in the sixth stage, the first mountain stage. At the beginning of that stage, the main contenders were close to each other in the general classification. All the main contenders stayed together in that sixth stage, and Kirchen wore the yellow jersey after that stage. Stages seven to nine saw only little changes, but the classification was changed in the tenth stage, when Kirchen was dropped and Evans took over the lead, only one second ahead of Fränk Schleck. This situation did not change until the fifteenth stage, after which Fränk Schleck was leading, with Kohl, Evans, Menchov, Vande Velde and Sastre all within one minute. In the sixteenth stage, Vande Velde was dropped, and Menchov lost some time. In stage seventeen, Sastre rode away on his own, and he won two minutes over everybody else, and took the lead in the general classification. The only chance to win back time that remained for the other cyclists was the time trial in stage twenty. Although it caused some changes in the top of the classification, and a narrowing of his advantage, Sastre did not lose his lead, and the following day became the winner of the general classification.
King of the Mountains
David de la FuenteDavid De La Fuente
David de la Fuente Rasilla is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He rides for the cycling team. De la Fuente led the mountains classification of the 2006 Tour de France for a number of stages, donning the Polka Dot jersey after stage 2, and then again after stage 11 until Michael...
took enough hilltop points in the first eight stages to take the lead in the mountains classification
King of the Mountains
The King of the Mountains is the title given to the best climber in a cycling road race; usually and officially known as the Mountains classification...
. In the ninth stage, stage winner Riccò won more and was coming in close, followed by Sebastian Lang, who was in an initial breakaway. In the tenth stage, Riccò won enough points to take over the lead. Nothing changed in stage 11.
Before stage 12, Riccò was withdrawn from the race, together De La Fuente and the rest of his team mates. The lead in the mountain classification was therefore held by Sebastian Lang, with his team mate Kohl in second place. Kohl took over the lead in the fifteenth stage. In the last mountain stage, stage seventeen, Kohl secured his mountains classification win, with Sastre in second place, with the same points as third place Fränk Schleck, but ranked above him because he had reached tops first more often.
After the race finished, the news came that Kohl had used CERA, a doping agent. His results have been removed, but second-place finisher Sastre has not been retroactively awarded the jersey.
Points classification
Although Mark Cavendish won four stages, he never gained enough points to lead the points classificationPoints classification
The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning intermediate sprints. The points classification is the top prize for many cycling sprinters and therefore is often known as the Sprint Classification;...
and pulled out of the competition after stage 14. Instead, Óscar Freire, who won one stage, took the lead after stage nine, and kept leading the points classification until the end of the race.
Other categories
The team classification in the 2008 Tour de France was won by , team of Carlos Sastre, Fränk Schleck and Andy Schleck. They had a margin of more than fifteen minutes over . Andy Schleck, in 11th place overall, was the highest placed rider who qualified for the young rider classificationYoung rider classification in the Tour de France
-History:From 1968 to 1975, there was a white jersey awarded in the Tour de France to the lead rider in the combination classification . In 1975, this classification was removed, and replaced by the Best Young Rider Classification...
, and so won the white jersey. Sylvain Chavanel
Sylvain Chavanel
Sylvain Chavanel Albira is a French professional road bicycle racer. His brother Sébastien Chavanel is also a cyclist.Chavanel started his professional career in 2000 with Jean-René Bernaudeau's team Bonjour, which became Brioches La Boulangère in 2003...
, who had won three daily combativity awards for his participation in breakaways, was given the supercombativity award.
General classification
| Rank | Name | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team CSC | 87h 52' 52" | |
| 2 | Silence-Lotto | +0' 58" | |
| 3 | None | ||
| 4 | Rabobank | +2' 10" | |
| 5 | Garmin | +3' 05" | |
| 6 | Team CSC | +4' 28" | |
| 7 | Euskaltel | +6' 25" | |
| 8 | Team Columbia | +6' 55" | |
| 9 | Caisse d'Epargne | +7' 12" | |
| 10 | Ag2r | +9' 05" |
| Final general classification (11–144) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Team | Time |
| 11 | Ag2r | +9' 55" | |
| 12 | Team CSC | +11' 32" | |
| 13 | Liquigas | +12' 59" | |
| 14 | Française des Jeux | +19' 23" | |
| 15 | Cofidis | +23' 31" | |
| 16 | Euskaltel | +23' 40" | |
| 17 | Team Columbia | +24' 55" | |
| 18 | Credit Agricole | +27' 11" | |
| 19 | Liquigas | +28' 33" | |
| 20 | Ag2r | +31' 50" | |
| 21 | Rabobank | +32' 59" | |
| 22 | Cofidis | +35' 41" | |
| 23 | Silence-Lotto | +36' 24" | |
| 24 | Gerolsteiner | +37' 20" | |
| 25 | Lampre | +44' 43" | |
| 26 | Lampre | +45' 19" | |
| 27 | Ag2r | +46' 31" | |
| 28 | Milram | +47' 43" | |
| 29 | Caisse d'Epargne | +48' 23" | |
| 30 | Silence-Lotto | +48' 58" | |
| 31 | Bouygues Telecom | +50' 19" | |
| 32 | Gerolsteiner | +1h 01' 04" | |
| 33 | Rabobank | +1h 05' 38" | |
| 34 | Team Columbia | +1h 08' 15" | |
| 35 | Quick Step | +1h 09' 25" | |
| 36 | Team CSC | +1h 11' 55" | |
| 37 | Bouygues Telecom | +1h 12' 58" | |
| 38 | Agritubel | +1h 20' 06" | |
| 39 | Credit Agricole | +1h 20' 24" | |
| 40 | Team Columbia | +1h 25' 27" | |
| 41 | Cofidis | +1h 26' 22" | |
| 42 | Milram | +1h 26' 40" | |
| 43 | Milram | +1h 26' 42" | |
| 44 | Euskaltel | +1h 27' 00" | |
| 45 | Team CSC | +1h 29' 59" | |
| 46 | Garmin | +1h 33' 22" | |
| 47 | Barloworld | +1h 36' 21" | |
| 48 | Lampre | +1h 36' 57" | |
| 49 | Euskaltel | +1h 37' 00" | |
| 50 | Caisse d'Epargne | +1h 39' 37" | |
| 51 | Euskaltel | +1h 41' 59" | |
| 52 | Cofidis | +1h 44' 24" | |
| 53 | Bouygues Telecom | +1h 47' 22" | |
| 54 | Ag2r | +1h 47' 24" | |
| 55 | Caisse d'Epargne | +1h 48' 27" | |
| 56 | Team CSC | +1h 49' 40" | |
| 57 | Milram | +1h 49' 49" | |
| 58 | Française des Jeux | +1h 49' 54" | |
| 59 | Rabobank | +1h 50' 24" | |
| 60 | Cofidis | +1h 54' 25" | |
| 61 | Caisse d'Epargne | +1h 55' 39" | |
| 62 | Rabobank | +1h 55' 52" | |
| 63 | Agritubel | +1h 56' 04" | |
| 64 | Team CSC | +1h 57' 09" | |
| 65 | Caisse d'Epargne | +1h 58' 16" | |
| 66 | Liquigas | +1h 59' 13" | |
| 67 | Garmin | +1h 59' 39" | |
| 68 | Rabobank | +2h 05' 10" | |
| 69 | Rabobank | +2h 05' 46" | |
| 70 | Ag2r | +2h 06' 21" | |
| 71 | Ag2r | +2h 07' 33" | |
| 72 | Euskaltel | +2h 08' 23" | |
| 73 | Française des Jeux | +2h 08' 50" | |
| 74 | Gerolsteiner | +2h 09' 23" | |
| 75 | Liquigas | +2h 13' 03" | |
| 76 | Garmin | +2h 13' 41" | |
| 77 | Quick Step | +2h 13' 50" | |
| 78 | Credit Agricole | +2h 14' 25" | |
| 79 | Credit Agricole | +2h 16' 33" | |
| 80 | Agritubel | +2h 16' 43" | |
| 81 | Française des Jeux | +2h 19' 33" | |
| 82 | Silence-Lotto | +2h 20' 49" | |
| 83 | Barloworld | +2h 22' 33" | |
| 84 | Agritubel | +2h 23' 04" | |
| 85 | Bouygues Telecom | +2h 23' 16" | |
| 86 | Silence-Lotto | +2h 27' 04" | |
| 87 | Barloworld | +2h 30' 12" | |
| 88 | Quick Step | +2h 30' 36" | |
| 89 | Bouygues Telecom | +2h 32' 19" | |
| 90 | Euskaltel | +2h 33' 55" | |
| 91 | Lampre | +2h 34' 08" | |
| 92 | Gerolsteiner | +2h 34' 12" | |
| 93 | Lampre | +2h 35' 08" | |
| 94 | Garmin | +2h 36' 29" | |
| 95 | Quick Step | +2h 38' 07" | |
| 96 | Bouygues Telecom | +2h 38' 13" | |
| 97 | Quick Step | +2h 39' 58" | |
| 98 | Credit Agricole | +2h 45' 20" | |
| 99 | Milram | +2h 48' 33" | |
| 100 | Bouygues Telecom | +2h 53' 51" | |
| 101 | Credit Agricole | +2h 55' 29" | |
| 102 | Euskaltel | +2h 56' 12" | |
| 103 | Euskaltel | +2h 57' 44" | |
| 104 | Milram | +2h 58' 31" | |
| 105 | Team Columbia | +2h 58' 34" | |
| 106 | Barloworld | +3h 04' 02" | |
| 107 | Team Columbia | +3h 04' 52" | |
| 108 | Team CSC | +3h 07' 46" | |
| 109 | Garmin | +3h 07' 57" | |
| 110 | Quick Step | +3h 08' 23" | |
| 111 | Française des Jeux | +3h 09' 56" | |
| 112 | Liquigas | +3h 13' 38" | |
| 113 | Cofidis | +3h 14' 37" | |
| 114 | Caisse d'Epargne | +3h 15' 53" | |
| 115 | Gerolsteiner | +3h 16' 11" | |
| 116 | Lampre | +3h 16' 36" | |
| 117 | Team CSC | +3h 17' 01" | |
| 118 | Cofidis | +3h 17' 45" | |
| 119 | Team Columbia | +3h 20' 28" | |
| 120 | Française des Jeux | +3h 21' 32" | |
| 121 | Silence-Lotto | +3h 22' 36" | |
| 122 | Milram | +3h 23' 17" | |
| 123 | Silence-Lotto | +3h 23' 53" | |
| 124 | Quick Step | +3h 24' 08" | |
| 125 | Gerolsteiner | +3h 25' 34" | |
| 126 | Lampre | +3h 26' 16" | |
| 127 | Liquigas | +3h 26' 47" | |
| 128 | Milram | +3h 27' 29" | |
| 129 | Liquigas | +3h 28' 03" | |
| 130 | Rabobank | +3h 28' 07" | |
| 131 | Française des Jeux | +3h 30' 00" | |
| 132 | Garmin | +3h 30' 47" | |
| 133 | Garmin | +3h 31' 30" | |
| 134 | Agritubel | +3h 32' 25" | |
| 135 | Milram | +3h 33' 40" | |
| 136 | Ag2r | +3h 35' 24" | |
| 137 | Credit Agricole | +3h 35' 30" | |
| 138 | Cofidis | +3h 35' 52" | |
| 139 | Lampre | +3h 37' 22" | |
| 140 | Caisse d'Epargne | +3h 39' 48" | |
| 141 | Bouygues Telecom | +3h 48' 18" | |
| 142 | Gerolsteiner | +3h 51' 55" | |
| 143 | Team Columbia | +3h 54' 52" | |
| 144 | Silence-Lotto | +3h 55' 45" | |
Team classification
| Rank | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 263h 29' 57" | |
| 2 | + 15' 35" | |
| 3 | + 1h 05' 26" | |
| 4 | + 1h 16' 26" | |
| 5 | + 1h 17' 15" | |
| 6 | + 1h 20' 28" | |
| 7 | + 1h 23' 00" | |
| 8 | + 1h 26' 24" | |
| 9 | + 1h 27' 40" | |
| 10 | + 1h 37' 16" |
King of the Mountains Classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | None | ||
| 2 | |
80 | |
| 3 | 80 | ||
| 4 | 65 | ||
| 5 | 62 | ||
| 6 | 61 | ||
| 7 | 61 | ||
| 8 | 58 | ||
| 9 | 52 | ||
| 10 | 51 |
Points Classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ' |
270 | |
| 2 | 220 | ||
| 3 | 217 | ||
| 4 | 181 | ||
| 5 | 155 | ||
| 6 | 136 | ||
| 7 | 131 | ||
| 8 | 129 | ||
| 9 | 119 | ||
| 10 | 116 |
Young Riders' Classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ' |
88h 04' 24" | |
| 2 | + 1' 27" | ||
| 3 | + 17' 01" | ||
| 4 | + 24' 09" | ||
| 5 | + 1h 08' 34" | ||
| 6 | + 1h 13' 55" | ||
| 7 | + 1h 24' 49" | ||
| 8 | + 1h 38' 17" | ||
| 9 | + 1h 38' 22" | ||
| 10 | + 1h 44' 07" |
Prize money
A total prize fund of approximately €3.25 million was awarded throughout the tour. In addition, each team received €51,243 towards expenses of participation, with an additional €1,600 per rider who completed the race, provided that at least seven did so.| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual Stages | €8,000 | €4,000 | €2,000 | €1,200 | €830 | Prizes down to 20th place (€200). |
| General Classification | €450,000 | €200,000 | €100,000 | €70,000 | €50,000 | All finishers earn at least €400. The wearer of the Yellow Jersey each day gets €350. |
| Overall Points Competition | €25,000 | €15,000 | €10,000 | €4,000 | €3,500 | Additional prize money down to 8th place (€2,000). The leader of the ranking each day gets €300. |
| Intermediate Sprints | €800 | €450 | €300 | There are 45 such sprints during the tour. | ||
| King of the Mountains Competition | €25,000 | €15,000 | €10,000 | €4,000 | €3,500 | Additional prize money down to 8th place (€2,000). The leader of the ranking each day gets €300. |
| Hors Category climbs | €800 | €450 | €300 | There are 8 HC Hors Categorie Hors catégorie is a French term used in cycle races to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization", an incredibly tough climb. Most climbs in cycling are designated from Category 1 to Category 4 , based on both steepness and length... cols during the tour. There are additional €5,000 prizes for the riders first over the Tourmalet (stage 10) and the Galibier (stage 17). |
||
| First category climbs | €650 | €400 | €150 | There are 4 such mountains during the tour. | ||
| Second category climbs | €500 | €250 | There are 5 such climbs during the tour. | |||
| Third category climbs | €300 | There are 14 such climbs during the tour. | ||||
| Fourth category climbs | €200 | There are 26 such climbs during the tour. | ||||
| Young Riders' Competition | €20,000 | €15,000 | €10,000 | €5,000 | The first young rider each day gets €500, and the leader of the ranking each day gets €300. | |
| Combativity prize | €20,000 | A prize of €2,000 is awarded for each stage except time trials. | ||||
| Team Competition | €50,000 | €30,000 | €20,000 | €12,000 | €8,000 | The team with the fastest time for its first three finishers each day gets €2,800. |
By tradition, a team's winnings were pooled and shared among the riders and support team. Team CSC, the team of Tour winner Sastre, won the most prize money, more than €600,000. Saunier Duval's prize money was not awarded after the positive tests of Riccardo Riccò.
| Team name | Prize money | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team CSC Saxo Bank | €621,210 |
| 2 | Silence-Lotto | €233,450 |
| 3 | Gerolsteiner | €192,370 |
| 4 | Rabobank | €154,250 |
| 5 | Team Columbia | €113,450 |
| 6 | Cofidis | €91,460 |
| 7 | Garmin-Chipotle | €82,570 |
| 8 | Ag2r-La Mondiale | €71,060 |
| 9 | Caisse d'Epargne | €59,510 |
| 10 | Crédit Agricole | €55,450 |
| 11 | Euskaltel-Euskadi | €53,130 |
| 12 | Liquigas | €49,220 |
| 13 | Française des Jeux | €45,780 |
| 14 | Team Milram | €35,490 |
| 15 | Agritubel | €32,540 |
| 16 | Quick Step | €31,470 |
| 17 | Bouygues Télécom | €24,900 |
| 18 | Barloworld | €22,480 |
| 19 | Lampre | €9,840 |
Doping
2007 Tour de France
The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain...
green jersey (points) winner Tom Boonen
Tom Boonen
Tom Boonen is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who won the 2005 World Road Race Championship. He is a member of the team, and is considered a single-day road race specialist with a strong finishing sprint...
tested positive for cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
. Since this was outside competition, Boonen was not sanctioned by the UCI
Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland....
or WADA
World Anti-Doping Agency
The World Anti-Doping Agency , , is an independent foundation created through a collective initiative led by the International Olympic Committee . It was set up on November 10, 1999 in Lausanne, Switzerland, as a result of what was called the "Declaration of Lausanne", to promote, coordinate and...
, but he was nevertheless barred from the 2008 Tour de France.
Following protracted disagreement between the organisers of the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
(ASO
Amaury Sport Organisation
The Amaury Sport Organisation is part of the French media group, EPA . It organises sporting events including the Tour de France and Paris–Nice professional cycle road races, and the Dakar Rally...
) and the UCI
Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland....
, the race was sanctioned by the French cycling federation (FFC), as was the 2008 Paris–Nice in March. Thus the FFC were in charge of the doping controls before and during the race, and rather than increasing the number of doping controls during the Tour, they applied a more targeted approach on suspect riders. The anti-doping agency AFLD carried out approximately 60 random and targeted tests in the weeks leading up to the Tour. They took blood samples from all the 180 riders in a two-day period just before the first stage, and during the race took samples from up to 14 riders a day shortly after the stage was finished, 250 tests being run in total. The Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) also performed unannounced doping tests of riders at the finish of stage 15, which ended at the ski resort of Prato Nevoso
Prato Nevoso
Prato Nevoso is a ski and holiday resort in northern Italy. It is located at 1480 m above sea level, in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont, within the municipal boundaries of the comune of Frabosa Sottana, of which it is a frazione, some four kilometres south of its centre.-History:Prato...
, Italy. On 3 July 2008, France enacted a law criminalizing using or trafficking in doping substances.
On 11 July news broke that Spanish rider Manuel Beltrán
Manuel Beltrán
Manuel Beltrán Martinez is a professional road bicycle racer from Spain. Beltrán won his first professional race at the 1997 Giro d'Italia, winning stage 19. His finishes in the Tour de France are somewhat misleading as he was a lieutenant for his team leader...
tested positive for erythropoietin
Erythropoietin
Erythropoietin, or its alternatives erythropoetin or erthropoyetin or EPO, is a glycoprotein hormone that controls erythropoiesis, or red blood cell production...
after the first stage of the tour. Blood abnormalities before the tour start had led AFLD
Agence Française de Lutte contre le Dopage
Agence Française de Lutte contre le Dopage , often referred to in English as the French Anti-Doping Agency, although this is not a direct translation of the name, is an independent public authority formed in 2006 and charged with ensuring that participants in sports in France do not violate rules...
to target the rider. Beltrán's team Liquigas withdrew him from the tour with immediate effect. French law enforcement authorities questioned Beltrán over possible offences and searched his hotel room, but he claimed his innocence. The B-Sample has not yet been tested.
On 13 July, prior to the ninth stage, it was revealed that AFLD had informed team doctors that five riders had unusually high hematocrit
Hematocrit
The hematocrit or packed cell volume or erythrocyte volume fraction is the percentage of the concentration of red blood cells in blood. It is normally about 45% for men and 40% for women...
levels. The Italian press reported that Riccardo Riccò
Riccardo Riccò
Riccardo Riccò is a professional road bicycle racer from Italy, currently under contract to UCI Continental team Meridiana-Kamen, and suspended from competition. He was ejected from the 2008 Tour de France for doping violations and suspended...
, who won the stage later that day, had been selected for testing several times during the first week, which led to a suspicion that he was among those whose teams had been notified. Riccò has for some time been known to have a naturally high hematocrit
Hematocrit
The hematocrit or packed cell volume or erythrocyte volume fraction is the percentage of the concentration of red blood cells in blood. It is normally about 45% for men and 40% for women...
level of 51%, above the 50%-level which usually is taken to be an indicator of possible blood manipulation
Blood doping
Blood doping is the practice of boosting the number of red blood cells in the bloodstream in order to enhance athletic performance. Because such blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the muscles, a higher concentration in the blood can improve an athlete’s aerobic capacity and...
. Riccò stated that he has a license confirming that this is a natural, long-term condition, which he gave to the doping agencies before the start of the race, but he later admitted to the offence at a hearing of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI).
On 16 July Barloworld started the 11th stage without Moisés Dueñas, who had been withdrawn from the team after being tested positive for EPO at the end of the time trial fourth stage. Barloworld Ltd, two days later, announced that they were withdrawing from sponsorship after this year's Tour de France, but on 28 October, they announced that they would sponsor the team for another year.
Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta
Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta is the active ingredient of a drug marketed by Hoffmann-La Roche under the brand name Mircera. Mircera is a long-acting erythropoietin receptor activator indicated for the treatment of patients with anaemia associated with chronic kidney disease. It is the...
, a new type of EPO, at the end of stage 4. Leonardo Piepoli
Leonardo Piepoli
Leonardo Piepoli is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. He most recently rode for on the UCI ProTour, but had his contract suspended in July 2008 during the Tour de France amid allegations of the use of the blood boosting drug EPO in the team.-Career:He is a record four-time winner of the...
, winner of stage 10, was sacked by his team for "violation of the team's ethics code" the following day, though no positive test was reported at that time. Almost 3 months later his tests came back positive for samples taken one day prior to the start of the Tour, on 4 July, and also on 15 July, on the rest day in Pau.
On the last day of the race, but after the end of the stage, Dmitry Fofonov
Dmitry Fofonov
Dmitry Fofonov is a Kazakh professional road bicycle racer who was fired from UCI ProTeam Crédit Agricole for doping.Fofonov tested positive for heptaminol after the 18th stage of the 2008 Tour de France. Fofonov had completed the race in 19th place, and was fired by Crédit Agricole after the test...
was announced to have tested positive for the banned stimulant heptaminol
Heptaminol
Heptaminol is an amino alcohol which is classified as a vasoconstrictor . It is sometimes used in the treatment of low blood pressure, particularly orthostatic hypotension....
after Stage 18. He was asked for a medical exemption to use the stimulant, but did not produce one. He was subsequently fired by his team Crédit Agricole.
After the race ended, French cyclist Jimmy Casper
Jimmy Casper
thumb|leftJimmy Casper is a French professional road bicycle racer for the UCI Professional Continental team Saur-Sojasun....
was suspended from Agritubel because he tested positive after the stage to Super Besse
Super Besse
Super Besse is a winter sports resort in the Massif Central in France.-Geography:The winter sports resort of Super Besse is located in the commune of Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise in the Parc naturel régional des volcans d'Auvergne in the department of Puy de Dôme, in Auvergne...
for glucocorticoid
Glucocorticoid
Glucocorticoids are a class of steroid hormones that bind to the glucocorticoid receptor , which is present in almost every vertebrate animal cell...
s, an asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
drug that is banned unless the user has a medical exemption for its use. Casper, an asthmatic, carried a therapeutic use exemptions (TUE) for the last twelve years but failed to renew this exemption. His authorisation expired on 29 May and was not renewed before the 2008 Tour de France. The French cycling federation's disciplinary commission exonerated Casper.
In late September it was announced that several Tour de France riders were to have their blood samples retested for traces of EPO. Pierre Bordry, the head of AFLD
Agence Française de Lutte contre le Dopage
Agence Française de Lutte contre le Dopage , often referred to in English as the French Anti-Doping Agency, although this is not a direct translation of the name, is an independent public authority formed in 2006 and charged with ensuring that participants in sports in France do not violate rules...
, claimed the testing involved riders who were already under scrutiny for suspicious urine samples. AFLD had suspicion that there was MIRCERA in some samples but the laboratory could not say definitively. The urine tests were somewhat unreliable at giving definitive results, so the AFLD decided to order the blood samples taken before and during the Tour for additional testing with a newly developed CERA blood test.
As a result of this additional testing, both Leonardo Piepoli
Leonardo Piepoli
Leonardo Piepoli is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. He most recently rode for on the UCI ProTour, but had his contract suspended in July 2008 during the Tour de France amid allegations of the use of the blood boosting drug EPO in the team.-Career:He is a record four-time winner of the...
and Stefan Schumacher
Stefan Schumacher
Stefan Schumacher is a German professional road racing cyclist.-Career:First professionally employed with Team Telekom in 2002, he was released the following year...
tested positive for the same substance which Riccò used, MIRCERA. The riders were declared positive by AFLD.
On 13 October 2008, the AFLD announced that Bernhard Kohl
Bernhard Kohl
thumb|Bernhard Kohl wears the polka dot jersey of theTour the France at the city centre criterium inWels on 30 July 2008Bernhard Kohl is an Austrian former professional road bicycle racer and recognized climbing specialist...
, who finished in third place overall and winner of the climbers' competition, had also tested positive for MIRCERA on 3 and 15 July, before and during the Tour de France. Initial results were verified, and Kohl also confessed to doping. His third-place overall finish in the 2008 Tour and his first place in the King of the Mountains competition are considered vacancies in the Tour's official history.
External links
- The official Tour de France site
- Le dico du Tour / Le Tour de France de 1947 à 2008 (French)
- 2008 Tour de France: Stage by stage Interactive application with Google Maps