Bauke Mollema lost a bit of ground when he was unable to keep up with the favourites on the final climb in today's first mountain stage of the Tour de France. Having limited his losses well, however, the Dutchman is not too disappointed and expects to bounce back on the longer climbs later in the race.

Bauke Mollema seized the moment in today’s eighth stage of the Tour de France and moved up in the overall. The leader of the Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM rose from 14th to ninth when, after having tackled two other tough climbs in the final, he finished 11th up the La Mauselaine climb. Blel Kadri (AG2R-La Mondiale) won solo by almost three minutes. Alberto Contador placed second by 38 seconds over Mollema. 

“I felt good today,” said Mollema. “I had to get used to the climbing again and on the first climb, the longest of the day, my legs felt a little different. On the last climb, it was every man for himself and at first, I came up a little bit too short, but eventually, I got through.

“I can’t be too disappointed. The differences are still small. I still hope to improve, especially when it comes to the long climbs and there’s much more in store for me. I’m pleased that we’re heading into the mountains now, that’s where I’m at my best.” 
 

Laurens ten Dam concluded the eighth stage in 24th and moved into the top twenty, in 19th spot.

“My legs were hurting today. On the second steep climb of the day, I was cursing a little bit. I had done a recon, but today during the race, it was steeper than I thought. The rain and cold were not great for me, as well. However, I was able to follow pretty well,” Ten Dam said. 

Sports Director Nico Verhoeven explained that the day went as hoped.

“Today was just a taste of the real climbs that are coming, but of course this stage gives an indication of how everyone is doing. 

“Bauke did well. He’s just over a minute away from the second place overall and there are still plenty of opportunities for a top spot. Today’s explosive climbs weren’t in Laurens’ favour but he didn’t lose too much time. Things are going as planned for us.” 
 

Steven Kruijswijk currently occupies the 29th place in the overall and that puts the Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM second in the team classification. Astana leads.

“It indicates that we’ve done well so far,” said Verhoeven. “It’s going to be difficult to remain in this position, though, as we lost Stef Clement. Therefore Bauke remains our priority.” 

The peloton faces another tough ride tomorrow. The riders need to tackle six categorised climbs before a flat final.

“The start is pretty heavy, because the men immediately have to climb,” said Verhoeven. “An escape has a good chance of making it to the line. The overall men will probably not attack each other on the final climb as it’s pretty far to the finish after the top.”