Even l'Equipe, the sports daily for years historic organizer of the Tour, must admit that this start of the Tour is one of the most boring in memory. Waiting for the mountains to come, hopefully the Roubaix cobblestones that the riders will face today arriving at the famous Velodrome will liven up a race that has been blocked and monotonous up to now.
Meanwhile, even yesterday, Saturday, in Amiens, from the gigantic cathedral, a UNESCO heritage site, the Grande Boucle on the eighth day of racing hasn't changed: the usual escape of some brave Carneades chasing a moment of popularity, the usual run-up by the group who hangs up the tread a few km from the finish, the usual inevitable crash that makes some illustrious victims – yesterday it was the turn to pay the bad luck to Daniel Martin and Julian Alaphilippe, finally the usual sprint with the big names in the sprint risking their lives in the final two hundred metres.
A discharge of adrenaline and emotions that for a moment defeated the boredom that was the real protagonist for over 180 kilometres. Dutch Dylan Groenewegen won again for the second time in a row, tying the victories of Sagan and Gaviria: an encore within just 24 hours which opens the door to the Olympus of the best sprinters around today.
Behind him was the festival of improprieties, with Gaviria headbutting to avoid Greipel who in turn had done something similar in the final tussle in an attempt to stop Sagan's comeback who now seemed to be launching towards the set. But if everyone agrees, Groenewegen emerges from the traffic for a spectacular encore ahead of Greipel and Gaviria. But the jury, having examined the video of the sprint, punished both Greipel and Gaviria by demoting them and advancing Sagan to second place followed by Degenkolb, Kristoff and Démare.
Van Avermaet retains the yellow jersey with unchanged advantages over all the big names with the exception of Daniel Martin and Julian Alaphilippe who are delayed by 1'16. for a fall 15 km from the finish. Demare hasn't yet won a sprint, the first of the French in the standings, Alaphilippe, has slipped to 18th place: for the transalpine pedal it was a July 14th to forget, much leaner than last year's which saw Warren's triumph Barguil atop the Izoard.
