It was back-to-back wins at the Tour de France for Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) as the Belgian sprinted to stage 8 victory after a tense finale that saw breakaway rider Liam Slock (Lotto Intermarché) caught at the very last, just 1.3km from the line.
Stage 7 winner Merlier had to come from behind and launch from seventh wheel, but once he went, his speed was completely untouchable, and he sped to the line to win for the second day in a row.