Tignes, July 16:

Michael Rasmussen of Denmark won the eighth stage of the Tour de France on Sunday to take the overall lead after a second day of grueling Alpine climbs.

Rasmussen crossed the finish line alone after the 165-km trek from Le Grand-Bornand to Tignes. Rasmussen clocked 4 hours, 49 minutes, 40 seconds. Iban Mayo of Spain was second, 2:47 behind, followed by Alejandro Valverde of Spain, 3:12 back. The Danish narrowly took the overall race leader’s yellow jersey from German rider Linus Gerdemann, who trailed several minutes behind. Rasmussen holds a 43-second lead over Gerdemann and a 2:39 gap over third-placed Mayo.