Mike Teunissen

Mike Teunissen of Team Sunweb found his way to the Point d’Appui on Stage 8 of the 2017 Tour de France as 193 riders came safely home again.

Teunissen came into racing on the cyclo-cross tracks, placing second in the UCI Under-23 World Championships in 2012 and winning them in 2013. He racked up several road-racing wins in 2014, including the Paris-Roubaix Espoirs, the Rabo Baronie Breda Classic and the Paris-Tours Espoirs. He finished 119th in the 2015 Vuelta a España, and this is his first Tour de France start.

A large group of around 50 riders created a break, including several riders who have briefly vied for the Point d’Appui in the past, including Greg Van Avermaet of BMC Racing Team, Jan Bakelants of the AG2R La Mondiale team, Koen De Kort of the Trek-Segafredo team, Michael Valgren of the Astana team, Serge Pauwels of the Dimension Data team, and Thomas De Gendt of the Lotto Soudal team. The stage led from

On the stage, Lilian Calmejane of the Direct Energie team managed to escape the break on the last mountain climb of the day, going over the top with nearly 30 seconds over his next closest competitor, Robert Gesink of Team LottoNl-Jumbo. Calmejane provided a little last-minute excitement when his right calf began cramping and he slowed to a crawl within 5 kilometers of the finish, but was able to work out the kinks and continue to glory. The victory was Calmejane’s second in a Grand Tour, having also won a stage at the 2016 Vuelta a Espana.

Chris Froome continues as the holder of the Tour’s Yellow Jersey, and Olivier Le Gac of the FDJ team remains the Lanterne Rouge.