Red Bull is controlling the pace of the peloton, obliged to do it as they have the maillot jaune in the team. At the foot of the Port de Balès (18.5km at 6.4%), we decide to take over, believing that Red Bull isn't strong enough to do so and the margin is stil over 11 minutes.
Meanwhile, Ian Bibby and Johan Tschopp are fighting for the KOTM-points at the summit of the Port de Balès. Only Gastauer and Gómez Marchante can follow them, and the 4 will start the descend towards Bagnères de Luchon.
The group Brajkovic-Cobo-Porte-RodrÃguez follows at 3'38 and the first peloton of 5'08. When they crest teh summit, there is some time to see who's still in it, and the most important names we can see are Cunego, Antón, Contador, De Gendt, Martin, Kreuziger, Kiserlovski, Hesjedal, Nibali, Wiggins, F. Schleck and from our team Gesink, Ruijgh & Vanendert. At 7'28 follows a group with Andy Schleck, Steven Kruijswijk, Rolland and Van den Broeck! This means Andy isn't fully recovered from his earlier illness and can loose the Tour today!
14km to go
The 4 riders have finished the descend and leave the town of Bagnères de Luchon. The margin to the first peloton (the group with Cobo and Brajkovic has been caught by it) has been decreased to 3'18. Knowing that margin ain't enough to win the stage, Tschopp attacks and only Gómez Marchante can follow.
10km to go
The first 5 kilometres of the climb, Robert Gesink uses the climbing abilities of his teammate Jelle Vanendert. The Belgian manages to cut down the margin to the 2 leaders to 2'01. This is the moment for Thibaut Pinot (AG2R) to attack, trying to bridge the gap to the 2 leaders. He gets countered by Ryder Hesjedal (Saxo Bank), Robert Kiserlovski (Astana), Igor Antón (Euskaltel) and again Brajkovic.
7km to go
Kiserlovski is the first to catch the soil leader Gómez Marchante. Hesjedal, Pinot and Bibby follow at '17, the group of favourites at '38 and the group A. Schleck - Van den Broeck at 1'34 (so Andy is regaining lost time!).
6km to go
Vincenzo Nibali is on the left side of the road and sees that Gesink is blocked a bit on the right side of the road. He attacks and gets countered by Fränk Schleck. The 2 now form the leading group with Kiserlovski, Pinot and Hesjedal. Gesink, who can now counter, and co follow at '23.
4km to go
Nibali hasn't got the legs today to climb like he did in the Giro. He even has problems in following F. Schleck at the moment. The oldest Schleck brother has a margin of only 11 seconds to a group of 13 with Nibali-Contador-Cunego-Spilak-Antón-Gesink-Pinot-Kiserlovski-Hesjedal-Cobo-Sicard-Wiggins-Kiryienka. The group Andy follows at 1'58.
2km to go
Schleck gets caught, and Wiggins, Cobo, Kiryienka & Sicard have been dropped. It's a status quo with 2km to go, when Nibali takes over the lead again. Gesink is a bit blocked by Kiserlovski.
Finish
Vincenzo Nibali is looking to win the stage in the uphill sprint, when Alberto Contador comes like a jack out of the box. He's sprinting extremely fast and wins the 8th stage in Superbagnères, also taking the lead in the GC. Nibali finishes in 2nd, and Fränk Schleck edges out Gesink for the 3rd place. Unfortunately, the ASO gives a 15-second time gap between the first 2 and the rest of the group. Wiggins looses 1'29 today, and Andy Schleck manages to minimize the loss to 2'14.
Okay, now we finally now how good everybody is. Nibali and Contador are for sure the main rivals of Gesink, and also Fränk Schleck is strong. Further there is a bunch of good climbers, so it is still hard to tell what riders will fight for the podium. Gesink was bad positioned a few times, and in the end, that cost him too much energy to sprint for the win.
A stage this short, stacked with cols, that is an attackers walhalla. So it is expected that riders as JoaquÃm RodrÃguez, Sylvain Chavanel, Johnny Hoogerland, Nick Nuyens and Rigoberto Uran are present in the BOTD, joined by Pirazzi, Castroviejo and Burghardt. RodrÃguez is the first to arrive at the summit of the Col du Peyresourde. Thomas Voeckler, who missed the original attack and is now trying to bridge the gap, follows at 1'52, with the peloton taking it slowly at 5'16.
RodrÃguez is also the first to arrive at the summit of the Aspin, followed by Chavanel, Hoogerland, Voeckler, Urán, Pirazzi and Castroviejo. The group Capecchi-Cobo-Porte-Sorensen follows at 2'00, with the thinning-out peloton at 4'25.
30km to go
The penultimate climb of the day, the Hourquette d'Ancizan is done. The first 2 groups have emerged, so Porte-Voeckler-Capecchi-Sorensen-RodrÃguez-Cobo-Hoogerland-Chavanel-Uran can start the long descend towards Saint-Lary-Soulan.
Janez Brajkovic and Pierre Rolland have attacked out of the peloton and follow at 1'52. The peloton, with Thomas Dekker & Rob Ruijgh doing the pace, follows at 3'24.
13km to go
Thanks to some excellent work by Dekker & Ruijgh, the first peloton arrives at the foot of the Col de Portet with a small margin of 1'36. Te final climb is 12.9 kilometres long at an average gradient of 9.4%. The last 6 kilometres are at unpaved roads.
10km to go
Jelle Vanendert takes over, and he decreases the margin to only 30 seconds in 3 kilometres time. When the 10km banner is in sight, Thibaut Pinot (GC 9) attacks, getting countered by Fränk Schleck (GC 7). This is also the sign for riders in the leading group to attack.
9km to go
Eros Capecchi attacks out of the leading group and is followed by Sorensen and Cobo at '10 and Porte at '32. Pinot and F. Schleck get caught due to the high pace set by Vanendert. With 9km to go ('51 behind Capecchi), Simon Spilak (GC 5th) attacks, and he is followed by Andy Schleck! Yes, last years winner seems to be recovered from his bowel infection.
6km to go
Due to the attack by Spilak and A. Schleck, the leaders get caught. But also Spilak and Andy can't create a gap, again due to Vanendert. When the group of favourites (20 riders) switches the tarmac for the gravel road, his work is done.
5km to go
Then, with 5km to go, Robert Gesink launches a fierce attack and nobody is able to counter! He quickly creates a gap of 20-30 seconds. Alberto Contador recognizes the danger and takes over the pace of the chasing group.
3km to go
Contador looks behind and asks Nibali if he is willing to do some work in the chase. But the Italian refuses, what can mean that the Dutch rider is gone. But when Andy Schleck attacks again, Contador realizes that this is the springboard he needs to close the gap again to Gesink, that is now 31 seconds.
2km to go
When Contador steps on the paddles, the margin to Gesink starts to melt as snow to the sun. 2km to go, and it's only '16. Nibali tries to follow the maillot jaune, but he cracks and has to let the wheel go. The Schleck-brothers and Spilak follow at '32.
Finish
Contador closes the gap, and with the finish line coming closer and closer, he is riding side by side. The 2 start sprinting for the win, and it's El Pistolero who pushes his front wheel a few inches earlier over the finish line.............. So close for Robert Gesink, but he knows he jumps to the 2nd place in the GC.
Nibali finishes in 3rd at '20, the Schlecks and Spilak at '32 and a group with Van den Broeck, Kiserlovski, Antón and Pinot at '58. Ryder Hesjedal (GC's number 4) finishes at 2'08, and Bradley Wiggins looses 43 seconds more.
The big shock comes when the gruppetto crosses the finish, 1 minute outside the timelimit. The race directors know no mercy, and send 85 (yes, eightyfive!!!!) home. Among them points-leader Langeveld and a lot of strong sprinters as Farrar (together with 5 team mates), Boonen, Nizzolo, Guardini, Greipel, Ciolek, Degenkolb, Van Avermaet and Cavendish. Also all 9 Rabobank-riders have to go home, what must be an even worse day for the team since the Rasmussen-case..... Fortunately for us, Niki Terpstra is the last rider to finish inside the time limit, so we'll continue with 9 riders.
Too bad, Gesink was so close to winning the stage. But Contador is very, very strong. And 85 riders forced to abandon, even before the rest day, wow.... Tomorrow is the rest day, the day after the Tourmalet.
Alberto Contador
Vincenzo Nibali
Fränk Schleck
Robert Kiserlovski
Thibaut Pinot
Simon Spilak
Ryder Hesjedal
Bradley Wiggins
Tyler Farrar
Jurgen Van den Broeck
Heinrich Haussler
Gesink was really close. But 85 that's almost half the peloton 
