"I still believed in it, because if you don't, it's better not to ride": Liam Slock falls just two kilometers short of a legendary solo Tour de France victory in Bergerac
CyclingSunday, 12 July 2026 at 01:00
Liam Slock produced one of the most memorable performances of the 2026 Tour de France so far, coming within two kilometres of a sensational solo victory before being caught by the sprinters on stage 8 to Bergerac.
The young Belgian attacked from the day's breakaway and resisted the chasing peloton for almost the entire stage, only to be reeled in shortly before the flamme rouge. This effort gave him the combativity prize of the stage.
An impressive solo effort against the peloton
The stage from Périgueux saw early breakaway attempts repeatedly shut down by the sprinter teams, but Slock eventually forced his way clear alongside Thibault Guernalec and Jakub Otruba. The group split on the slopes of the Côte du Buisson-de-Cadouin, where Slock dropped his companions near the summit and committed to a long solo time trial.
Despite a heavy chase organized by teams looking to set up the final sprint, the Belgian maintained a lead of over a minute into the final ten kilometers. Slock's lead shrank rapidly inside the final seven kilometres, but he continued to fight all the way until he was finally caught less than two kilometres from the finish.
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Despite the disappointment, the Belgian took pride in how long he managed to keep the peloton at bay. "I believed for a really long time because, between 30 and 15 kilometres to go, I didn't lose much time," Slock said after the finish.
"Then, on the big roads, I lost quite a bit of time, and from that moment I knew it was going to be difficult. But I still believed in it, because if you don't, it's better not to ride."
Liam Slock crashed as he won GP Gippingen
A breakthrough moment on cycling's biggest stage
Although victory slipped away in the closing moments, Slock believes the performance represents an important milestone in his young career.
"This season has been quite a breakthrough for me," he explained. "I wanted it to happen in a different way, but everybody knows me for this [the crash-but-victory in the GP Gippingen]. Now maybe they will remember me for something else."
The 26-year-old also reflected on the emotion of living out a childhood dream by racing the Tour de France. "I've always dreamed of this. I was standing by the roadside watching the Tour de France when I was six years old, and ever since then I've dreamed of doing it. Twenty years later, here I am."
Félix SernaCycling Journalist
Félix Serna is a writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2025. He covers professional cycling across both the men’s and women’s calendars, with a focus on UCI rankings, race developments, and rider performance. His work includes interview-based reports, liveblogs, and tournament coverage designed to provide clear, accurate context throughout the season.
In his reporting, Félix regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical reference. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.
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- Such dominance in the TdF, when did we last witness that and can you recall how that turned out?marcopantanivelo12-07-2026
- Except you are thinking statically and not dynamically. Look at the hourly prediction (on a reliable local weather site, not Google or Apple sponsored global populist reports) for Malemort and Ussel and if not enough, one or two points along the way. You’ll understand why the want to skip the start, it gets cooler as the ride progresses even though the day gets hotter everywhere. If the direction had been in reverse, they’d probably have cut off the last 30km (or more). They’re not wasting the cooler part of the day, they’re skipping the hottest part of the race whilst trying to keep the headaches of reorganisation along the way to a minimum.Jumpyjohn12-07-2026
- I was never much of a Remco fan but I'm warming to him. It's refreshing to hear someone speak their mind even when it doesn't seem appropriate. Hope he doesn't change and go down the PC route.Santiago12-07-2026
- Let me correct your correction, a team (any reason you didn’t specify?) is no way near the same as the collective best of the rest of the bunch.Jumpyjohn12-07-2026
- Doesn't matter what strategy JV uses, he's not catching Tadej.zaz11-07-2026
- It has been mentioned that Jonas looked like he tried to get on the wheels of Pogi and IDT and just couldn't do it. I rewatched where they attacked and for a sec Jonas attempted (sure looked it) to jump to the wheels...and after 2 cranks knew he cracked and couldn't catch them. After that he looked broken and used up. Either he is sick or Pogi and IDT are just better than him. Watch his face after they start gaining time and the Pogi takes off from IDT. I would say Jonas looked like a broken man racing for 2nd at best. And I think a few other riders could be better than he is at this TDF. Lipowitz, IDT, Sexis (maybe) as well as a few othersmd197511-07-2026
- Let me correct this for you. No lone rider except Pogi would have stayed out front like that. Why do I say that? Because Pogi has literally been in a situation where a team was trying to chase him down and they couldn't. Reality is that he is really that good.md197511-07-2026
- Yes, it gets hotter as the afternoon progresses. Which is why it's unfortunate that the stage will be starting later than scheduled, wasting the less-hot part of the afternoon.Hills3311-07-2026
- Then do like most spectators at amateur races, just hang around at the finish.Jumpyjohn11-07-2026
- Correze has a refreshing 17 predicted for the night and a max of 37, same as a lot of places have been for a while and way below the last heatwave a few weeks ago. It took temps over 40 in the north for several days before the government forbade all sport outside air conditioned places. The thresholds are changing due to the political dangers of excess deaths but as with some ridiculous covid stats, few are willing to analyse rationally. Deaths by drowning have little to do with whether a temperature exceded a certain threshold, just like Covid didn’t kill you in a traffic accidentMistermaumau11-07-2026
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