ERITREAN SPRINTER Biniam Girmay won stage eight of the Tour de France on Saturday at a finish line in the village where former French president Charles de Gaulle lived and is buried.
Meanwhile, Irish duo Sam Bennett and Ben Healy finished 27th and 29th respectively.
Healy is now 28th in the general rankings, while Bennett is 147th and the latter is also 12th in the green jersey points classification.
Girmay became the first black African to win a stage on the Tour de France on stage 3.
Overnight leader Tadej Pogacar retained his 33-second lead over Remco Evenepoel in the general standings while defending champion Jonas Vingegaard is third.
Girmay’s second stage win after his historic triumph at Turin on Monday extended his lead atop the best sprinter standings in the green jersey.
Norwegian rider Jonas Abrahamsen of Uno-X raced ahead of the peloton for most of the afternoon staying ahead for 170km and extending his lead in the king of the mountains polka dot jersey race for at least two more stages.
The stage ended in Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises, home of de Gaulle and his wife Yvonne.
De Gaulle led the Free French during WWII and was later president and architect of the Fifth French Republic.
Olympic medal hope and 2019 world road race champion Mads Pedersen pulled out of the Tour “to focus on other goals” ahead of stage eight having failed to shake off a shoulder injury.
Sunday’s circuit around Troyes in the Champagne-growing region features 14 gravel sections in a Tour de France first opening up to the growing popularity to gravel racing.
