Stage 8 of the Tour de France Femmes takes place today, Saturday 8 August, with the race travelling 171.9 kilometres from Sisteron to Nice for what should be the final major opportunity for the sprinters.
The riders are scheduled to roll away at 12:40 BST, with the official race start following at approximately 12:55 BST. The finish in Nice is expected between 16:43 and 17:05 BST, depending on the speed of the stage.
UK viewers can watch every kilometre live through TNT Sports and HBO Max.
For anyone mainly interested in the finale, 16:15 BST is the key time to be watching. The race should be entering its final 30 kilometres around then, with the Côte de Colomars and Côte de la Ginestière still to come.
Those climbs make Stage 8 much less straightforward than its official flat classification suggests.
They also matter because Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney begins the day in yellow with only 15 seconds over Demi Vollering. This may be Lorena Wiebes’s final obvious sprint opportunity, but Canyon SRAM cannot treat it simply as a recovery day.
The wider tactical picture is covered in our Tour de France Femmes 2026 Stage 8 preview.
Tour de France Femmes Stage 8 timings
| Stage detail | UK time |
|---|---|
| Neutralised start in Sisteron | 12:40 BST |
| Racing start | Around 12:55 BST |
| Col des Robines | 14:19-14:27 BST |
| Col de Toutes Aures | 14:39-14:49 BST |
| Intermediate sprint at Puget-Théniers | 15:17-15:31 BST |
| Around 30km remaining | 16:04-16:22 BST |
| Côte de Colomars | 16:21-16:41 BST |
| Côte de la Ginestière | 16:33-16:54 BST |
| Expected finish in Nice | 16:43-17:05 BST |
The official timetable is built around average speeds of 46, 44 and 42km/h.
Stage 8 is the longest day of the Tour at 171.9 kilometres and contains 1,420 metres of climbing. That combination, coming immediately after Mont Ventoux, makes it more demanding than the flat-stage label suggests.
For the full daily UK and US schedule across the race, see our Tour de France Femmes 2026 start times guide.
What time does Tour de France Femmes Stage 8 start?
The neutralised start in Sisteron is at 13:40 local time, which is 12:40 BST.
The riders then complete the opening neutralised section before the race proper begins at approximately 13:55 local time / 12:55 BST.
That means viewers wanting the full stage should be ready from around 12:40 BST.
The opening kilometres are likely to contain a significant fight for the breakaway because this is one of the final realistic opportunities for stage hunters before Sunday’s short mountain finale around Nice.
How to watch Stage 8 in the UK
Every kilometre of Stage 8 is available live in the UK through:
- TNT Sports
- HBO Max
HBO Max is the streaming home of TNT Sports cycling coverage in the UK, with full live coverage available across the Tour.
Our complete Tour de France Femmes 2026 TV schedule brings together the channels, streaming options and daily start times.
There is also a separate guide to watching the Tour de France Femmes 2026 in the UK for anyone looking specifically at TNT Sports and HBO Max access.
How to watch Stage 8 outside the UK
The main international options include:
| Country or region | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports / HBO Max |
| United States | Peacock |
| Canada | FloBikes |
| France | France Télévisions |
| Belgium | RTBF / VRT |
| Netherlands | NOS |
| Spain | RTVE |
| Australia | SBS |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport |
The full territory-by-territory breakdown is available in our Tour de France Femmes 2026 live stream guide by country.
When is the best time to tune in?
If you only want the decisive part of Stage 8, switch on by 16:15 BST.
At the fastest official schedule the riders should be approaching the final 30 kilometres shortly after 16:00. At the slower schedule, that point moves towards 16:20.
That gives enough time to see:
- the approach into Nice
- the Côte de Colomars
- the Côte de la Ginestière
- any late GC attack
- the final sprint or reduced-group finish
Waiting until 16:45 BST carries a real risk of missing the most important attacks if the race is running towards the fastest schedule.
When does the intermediate sprint happen?
The intermediate sprint comes at Puget-Théniers after 109.5 kilometres.
The riders are expected there between approximately 15:17 and 15:31 BST.
There are 25 green jersey points available to the winner, with points continuing down to 15th place.
Lorena Wiebes begins the day with a substantial advantage in the points classification, so SD Worx-Protime do not necessarily need to spend heavily chasing an early break purely for the intermediate sprint.
The bigger prize comes in Nice, where the stage winner receives 50 points.
That is one of the main reasons the sprint teams should have a strong incentive to control Stage 8.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Billy CeustersWhen do the final climbs start?
The decisive terrain begins inside the final 20 kilometres.
Côte de Colomars
The Côte de Colomars is 1.4km at 5.4% and tops out with 17.2 kilometres remaining.
The official schedule places the summit between approximately 16:21 and 16:41 BST.
This should be the first point where teams without a genuine chance of beating Wiebes in a full sprint begin attacking seriously.
The climb is short enough to be raced almost flat-out but long enough to stretch a tired peloton after more than 150 kilometres.
Côte de la Ginestière
The final categorised climb is the Côte de la Ginestière, 2.5km at 4.4%.
It tops out with only 7.7 kilometres remaining.
The riders should reach the summit between approximately 16:33 and 16:54 BST.
This is the most important point of the stage.
If Wiebes is still comfortably inside the front group at the summit, the race should strongly favour a sprint.
If she is distanced or isolated, riders such as Puck Pieterse, Kim Le Court-Pienaar and Noemi Rüegg have a much better opportunity.
Could Vollering attack Niewiadoma-Phinney on Stage 8?
Yes, although a major GC attack remains unlikely.
Niewiadoma-Phinney starts Stage 8 only 15 seconds ahead of Vollering after taking yellow with her huge solo victory on Mont Ventoux.
The full Stage 7 result and classification picture are covered in our Mont Ventoux race report.
The gap is small enough that Canyon SRAM have to monitor any late acceleration.
The final climbs are not long enough to create the sort of differences seen on Ventoux, but they are perfectly positioned for a surprise move.
Vollering does not necessarily need to take time.
Simply accelerating on Colomars or Ginestière forces Niewiadoma-Phinney to respond and makes Canyon SRAM spend energy less than 24 hours after the yellow jersey’s huge solo effort.
That is why Stage 8 is tactically more interesting than a normal sprint day.
For Canyon SRAM, the ideal race is controlled by the sprint teams.
For FDJ United-Suez, making the final 20 kilometres uncomfortable costs relatively little.
Can the yellow jersey change on Stage 8?
It is possible, but it would probably require something unusual.
The finish in Nice carries the normal bonuses:
- 10 seconds for first
- 6 seconds for second
- 4 seconds for third
That matters when the GC gap is only 15 seconds.
If Vollering somehow reaches the finish in a very small front group and takes bonus seconds, Niewiadoma-Phinney’s advantage could shrink before Sunday’s decisive final stage.
A crash, split or late attack could matter even more.
But under the most likely scenario, both riders finish safely in the same main group and the 15-second battle simply moves on to Sunday.
The bigger yellow-jersey equation is examined in can Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney win the Tour de France Femmes 2026?.
This should still be Wiebes’s stage
For all the GC intrigue, the most likely sporting outcome remains a sprint.
Wiebes has survived Mont Ventoux and now reaches the kind of stage she has been waiting for.
The four categorised climbs are all Category 4 and none is severe enough individually to eliminate a rider with Wiebes’s climbing ability.
The challenge is cumulative.
Stage 8 is 171.9 kilometres long, comes directly after Ventoux and contains two late climbs when fatigue will be at its highest.
The strongest attacking teams therefore need to make Ginestière much harder than its 4.4% average suggests.
If they fail, Wiebes should be the rider everyone has to beat in Nice.
-
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Billy Ceusters
Stage 8 viewing guide: when to switch on
Watch from 12:40 BST if you want the complete stage and breakaway formation.
Watch from 15:15 BST for the intermediate sprint and the beginning of the final 60 kilometres.
Watch from 16:15 BST for the decisive run into Nice.
Watch from 16:25 BST if you mainly want the final climbs and the possibility of late GC movement.
Do not leave it until 16:50 BST. Under the fastest official schedule, the race could already be approaching the finish.
Stage 8 live viewing summary
- Date: Saturday 8 August 2026
- Route: Sisteron to Nice
- Distance: 171.9km
- Elevation gain: 1,420 metres
- Neutralised start: 12:40 BST
- Racing start: Around 12:55 BST
- Intermediate sprint: 15:17-15:31 BST
- Côte de Colomars: 16:21-16:41 BST
- Côte de la Ginestière: 16:33-16:54 BST
- Expected finish: 16:43-17:05 BST
- Best time to tune in: 16:15 BST
- UK television: TNT Sports
- UK streaming: HBO Max
- US streaming: Peacock
- Canada: FloBikes
- Yellow jersey: Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney
- Gap to Demi Vollering: 15 seconds
- Likely stage outcome: sprint or reduced sprint
