Tour de France : Dutchman Winner of 8th Stage

Dutchman Jean-Paul Van Poppel of the Superconflex team won the eighth stage of the Tour de France Wednesday as Erich Maechler of the Carerra club retained the overall lead for the fifth consecutive day.

Van Poppel, a sprint specialist, completed the mainly flat, 127.7-mile stage from Troyes in 5 hours 23 minutes 53 seconds, finishing just ahead of Belgians Michel Vermote and Johan Capiot.

Maechler, from Switzerland, leads Frenchman Christophe Lavainne of the Systeme U team by 36 seconds.

Julio-Cesar Cadena of Columbia escaped the pack on a bonus sprint 16.8 miles into the stage and was caught six miles from the finish. His lead lasted 11 minutes--which briefly made him the overall leader--before several riders increased their pace with 31 miles left. Cadena, who began the day in 137th place, 9:49 off the lead, picked up 30 seconds in bonus sprints during his escape.

“At the start, I was just chasing a bonus sprint but when I looked around, there was no one there,” Cadena said. “I picked up speed and felt really good.

“I knew I would have trouble keeping it up to the end, but I thought I could win the stage. I’m a little disappointed at not being first, but not in my race.”

The bicycle riders enjoyed cooler temperatures than during the first seven stages and continued their more-than-24.8-m.p.h. pace.

Today, the riders will cover another mainly flat run--the 161.5-mile ninth stage west from Orleans to Renaze. The 23 nine-man teams end the Tour July 26 in Paris.