July 9, 2005 – This is Rabo’s Pieter Weening’s first Tour, and what a way to start it: with a win. Weening outkicked German Andreas Kloden (T-Mobile) to take a great victory on today’s eighth stage, 231.5 km from Pforzheim to Gérardmer.

Behind him, a select group of 32 with all the favourites finished, with several T-Mobile riders present. Armstrong (Discovery) after letting his riders ride tempo for a good part of the day, found himself isolated on the final run-in. This means his teammate George Hincapie slips to eighth overall.

Other riders having a good day were Stefano Garzelli (Liquigas) who quietly finished at the head of the lead group, as well as Cadel Evans (T-Mobile.) T-Mobile certainly seem poised, along with CSC, to combat the team G.C. with both teams’ names littered in the top 20 of the overall G.C. CSC’s Jens Voigt moves into second, just a minute behind Armstrong, displacing T-Mobile’s Alex Vinokourov to third.

Stage 8:

1 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank 5.03.54 (45.705 km/h)
2 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile Team
3 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Illes Balears-Caisse d’Epargne 0.27
4 Kim Kirchen (Lux) Fassa Bortolo
5 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC
6 Jan Ullrich (Ger) T-Mobile Team
7 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto
8 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Credit Agricole
9 Chris Horner (USA) Saunier Duval-Prodir
10 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) T-Mobile Team

1 Lance Armstrong (USA) Discovery Channel 28.06.17
2 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team CSC 1.00
3 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) T-Mobile Team 1.02
4 Bobby Julich (USA) Team CSC 1.07
5 Ivan Basso (Ita) Team CSC 1.26
6 Jan Ullrich (Ger) T-Mobile Team 1.36
7 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC
8 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel 1.47
9 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile Team 1.50
10 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems