Full results and standings after stage eight Britain’s yellow jersey wearer Adam Yates showed his mettle on the first big day of climbing at the 107th Tour de France, suggesting he may prove harder to shake than his rivals realise. The 28-year-old, who rides for Australian team Mitchelton-Scott, produced a wonderfully gutsy ride on stage eight, the first of two big days in the Pyrenees. Yates had looked to be in difficulty when he was dropped from the group of race favourites on the final ascent of the day, the Col de Peyresourde. But he did not panic. Riding at his own pace, he gradually made his way back to the group in time for the descent into the finish town of Loudenvielle. “I just tried to hang on for as long as possible,” Yates explained afterwards. “I had to pull out and ride at my own pace. But I came back in my own time and then managed to stay with them over the top.” If there were any doubts about his right to lead the race when he inherited the maillot jaune on Thursday thanks to a bizarre mistake by Belgian team Deceuninck-QuickStep, who gave Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe an illegal bottle in the last 20km of the stage, there are none now. Alaphilippe was one of a number of big-name riders to haemorrhage time as the race exploded on the first big climbs of the race. Thibaut Pinot, France’s great white hope, was dropped on the hors categorie Port de Bales, the penultimate climb of the day. He eventually finished over 25 minutes behind stage winner Nans Peters (AG2R La Mondiale), who won from the day’s breakaway, and over 18 minutes behind Yates. Pinot’s hopes of becoming the first French Tour champion since Bernard Hinault in 1985 are over for another year.
