Danish Michael Rasmussen won the eighth stage of the Tour de France. Rasmussen finished the demanding stage in 4 hours, 49 minutes, and 40 seconds. With the win, he took the overall lead from Linus Gerdemann.

"I'm a climber, and a pure climber," Rasmussen said. "If I have to go all the way, and take the yellow jersey all the way to Paris, I will have to climb faster than I have ever done in my life."

After the race, a 78-year-old man was in serious condition in a hospital after being hit by T-Mobile rider Patrik Sinkewitz.

Race organizers said the German was riding to his hotel after finishing the stage when he collided with the fan. Sinkewitz received facial injuries and was also taken to a hospital.

The ride into the Alps had been expected to offer an early shakeout among the favorites, but two time-trials and the Pyrenees also lurk down the road in the three-week race that ends July 29 on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

"There's still two more weeks of racing and I still have 110 kilometers of time-trialing to negotiate," Rasmussen said. "And I think I've proven in the past that it's not exactly my specialty."

Source