Danish rider captures eighth stage, climbs into Tour's overall lead

TIGNES, France -- Michael Rasmussen won the eighth stage of the Tour de France on Sunday to take the overall lead in the race after a second day of grueling climbs in the Alps.

The Danish rider, the Tour's best climber for the past two years, crossed the finish line alone after the 102.5-mile run from Le Grand-Bornand to Tignes, which featured three Category 1 climbs and an uphill finish.

Rasmussen finished in 4 hours, 49 minutes, 40 seconds to win his third Tour stage and don the overall leader's yellow jersey for the first time in his four appearances in the race. Iban Mayo of Spain was second, 2:47 behind, followed by Alejandro Valverde of Spain, 3:12 back.

Rasmussen took the overall race leader's yellow jersey from German rider Linus Gerdemann, who had won the seventh stage Saturday. Rasmussen holds a 43-second lead over Gerdemann and a 2:39 gap over Mayo.

"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."

Stage winner Michael Rasmussen of Denmark waves from the podium while wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey after the 8th stage of the 94th Tour de France cycling race between Le Grand Bornand and Tignes, French Alps, Sunday, July 15, 2007. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati) (ALEESSANDRO TROVATI ~ Associated Press)

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."

Most of the top riders stayed close to the overall lead.