Cycling: The eighth stage of the Tour of California did not hold a farewell gift for Jens Voigt (Trek) from Berlin. The 42-year-old made it into the group of the day. However, someone else secured the stage win. Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) kept John Degenkolb (Giant-Shimano) at a distance in the final meters. Bradley Wiggins (Sky) was happy about the overall victory.
The 135-kilometer race around Thousand Oaks was initially dominated by a group around Jens Voigt. Also included in this was Australia's Jack Bobridge (Belkin), who was having a good day and was also part of another push that formed late in the race. Together with three other drivers, Bobridge was able to gain a lead of almost 20 seconds over the field.
In this one, however, Mark Cavendish had good legs. Despite the wavy profile, he was able to assert himself in the peloton. After the group was finally formed, the Brit decided to go for a long sprint. The finish photo was almost the same as that of the first stage, because Degenkolb came up irresistibly in the last few meters - but too late. Third place went to Slovakian Peter Sagan (Cannondale), who also secured the jersey for the best sprinter.
The overall victory went to the Briton Bradley Wiggins (Sky). He was able to defend his lead on Rohan Dennis (Garmin Sharp) and Lawson Craddock (Giant-Shimano) on the last day without any problems.