SPOILER - Stage 8 Standings

Here's how they stacked up in today's 179KM stage 8...

1. CAVENDISH Mark 43 TEAM COLUMBIA 4h 02' 54"
2. CIOLEK Gerald 44 TEAM COLUMBIA 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
3. CASPER Jimmy 123 AGRITUBEL 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
4. FREIRE Oscar 133 RABOBANK 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
5. FÖRSTER Robert 112 GEROLSTEINER 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
6. ZABEL Erik 151 TEAM MILRAM 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
7. STEEGMANS Gert 97 QUICK STEP 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
8. CHAVANEL Sébastien 162 FRANCAISE DES JEUX 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
9. HUSHOVD Thor 81 CREDIT AGRICOLE 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
10. HUNTER Robert 58 BARLOWORLD 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
11. FEILLU Romain 124 AGRITUBEL 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
12. RENSHAW Mark 89 CREDIT AGRICOLE 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
13. PEREZ Ruben 26 EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
14. ISASI Inaki 23 EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
15. CHICCHI Francesco 63 LIQUIGAS 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
16. HAUSSLER Heinrich 114 GEROLSTEINER 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
17. MC EWEN Robbie 6 SILENCE - LOTTO 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
18. DUQUE Leonardo 186 COFIDIS CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
19. DEAN Julian 193 GARMIN CHIPOTLE 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
20. PEREIRO SIO Oscar 37 CAISSE D’EPARGNE 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
21. LANGEVELD Sebastian 134 RABOBANK 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
22. FLECHA Juan Antonio 132 RABOBANK 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
23. SCHUMACHER Stefan 111 GEROLSTEINER 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
24. MONFORT Maxime 189 COFIDIS CREDIT PAR TELEPHONE 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
25. LANCASTER Brett Daniel 154 TEAM MILRAM 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
26. MAASKANT Martijn 197 GARMIN CHIPOTLE 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
27. DEL NERO Jesus 175 SAUNIER DUVAL - SCOTT 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
28. FISCHER Murilo Antoniobil 64 LIQUIGAS 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
29. COOKE Baden 55 BARLOWORLD 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
30. MENCHOV Denis 131 RABOBANK 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
31. COBO ACEBO Juan Jose 173 SAUNIER DUVAL - SCOTT 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
32. BALLAN Alessandro 72 LAMPRE 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
33. DEVOLDER Stijn 91 QUICK STEP 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
34. KOHL Bernhard 115 GEROLSTEINER 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
35. VELO Marco 159 TEAM MILRAM 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
36. CARRARA Matteo 93 QUICK STEP 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
37. LÖVKVIST Thomas 48 TEAM COLUMBIA 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
38. EFIMKIN Vladimir 104 AG2R-LA MONDIALE 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
39. NIBALI Vincenzo 67 LIQUIGAS 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
40. EVANS Cadel 1 SILENCE - LOTTO 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
41. KIRCHEN Kim 41 TEAM COLUMBIA 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
42. POPOVYCH Yaroslav 7 SILENCE - LOTTO 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
43. TANKINK Bram 137 RABOBANK 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"
44. HINCAPIE George 47 TEAM COLUMBIA 4h 02' 54" + 00' 00"

SPOILER - Stage 8 Winner and Description

A blistering sprint down a narrow and wet straightaway ended with Mark Cavendish swinging wide right around the front five sprinters and then muscling his way across the line. It's Cavendish's second stage win of the 2008 Tour de France and Team Columbia seems to have some serious points as a team thus far.

Cavendish made his move with merely 60-100 meters to go and obliterated the rest of the pack. The rest of the peloton seems to have finished with the same time as they were bunched and strung out for a great distance down the finishing chute.

Stage standings in a second - or should I say stage results. As usual, I'll give you the list all the way down to our friend George Hincapie.

SPOILER - 2KM to go - 33MPH!

The peloton has caught the breakaway and Team Columbia is setting the pace at 33MPH. QuickStep is now leading at 33.6MPH.

RIGHT HAND TURN!

Middle of the pack is slowed almost to a stop. Long way to go to the finish. No crashes.

HUGE acceleration after the turn. They're on the finishing straight. All the sprinters are in line.

SPOILER - Leaders with 6K to go

There are two leaders about 0:20 ahead of the peloton with about 6KM to go.

Sprinters are getting anxious because the roads are wet and they don't want to crash in the finishing straight.

Hard right-hand turn at 1KM to go. I'll let you know if there's major carnage in that turn.

Team Columbia is out front right now pulling back the two breakaway riders. Behind them are Mc Ewen, Hushovd and others.

Out and about

I was out and about today and didn't get to watch the Tour until now. It's about 8:30EST and I'm seeing the updates with riders only 20 miles from the end.

It won't hurt you to know that I haven't seen anything totally crazy and the peloton is a mere 0:35 behind two lead riders.

I won't tell you who's at the front. I will tell you it's raining like mad and that might come into play during the very thin finishing straight.

More to come in a minute or so.

Stage 8 Picks

Tomorrow's stage 8 is flatter and will be a sprint finish. I would choose Thor Hushovd to win, but Robbie Mc Ewen has got to get himself some points, so he's my choice for the stage winner.

Tune in tomorrow night and find out.

Until then...