TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Britain's Cavendish Captures 8th Stage

ADVERTISEMENT

The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 13, 2008

TOULOUSE, France - Britain's Mark Cavendish captured the eighth stage of the Tour de France in a rain-soaked finish, his second stage victory in the three-week race.

His Team Columbia showed its strength, with Gerald Ciolek of Germany holding on for second ahead of Jimmy Casper of France. Team leader Kim Kirchen of Luxembourg kept the yellow jersey in a race shaken a day earlier by the positive doping test by Manuel Beltran.

The Liquigas team raced without Beltran, who returned to Spain after being questioned and released by police. The squad started amid debate about whether it should have withdrawn, as the Cofidis team did a year ago when Cristian Moreni failed a drug test.

Liquigas team director Roberto Amadio said the team knew nothing about Beltran's doping, and the rider denied he had taken EPO. A second test is being done on Beltran's urine sample from after the first stage.

Cavendish, who also won the fifth stage Wednesday, completed the 107 miles from Figeac to Toulouse in 4 hours, 2 minutes, 54 seconds.

"To finish with a 1-2 and have Kim in yellow, you can't do better than that," Cavendish said. "When I'm there in the sprint and fired up, normally I can win."

This was the last chance for the sprinters for a while, with riders entering the high mountains of the Pyrenees today.

The 139-mile ninth stage from Toulouse to Bagneres-de-Bigorre includes two especially demanding climbs.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT