After winning each of the four low-ranked climbs - and the right to wear the polka-dot jersey, Rabobank's Erik Dekker has won his first Tour de France stage...

15.52 Xavier Jan Takes 2nd...

Xavier Jan is alone in the day for second place. He will finish 52" behind Dekker.

15.51 Dekker's Day!

Dekker has won the eighth stage. He has a victory salute which lasts the final 100 meters of stage eight.

15.51 One Kilometer Before Dekker's Moment Arrives

After his enormous solo effort in stage five, it looks as though Dekker's attacking efforts will pay off. He's now in the final kilometer of stage eight well clear of any challengers.

15.49 2km To Go

Dekker is in the final 2km. He is well clear of the nearest challenger, Rous. Xavier Jan has been caught by the group of Rodriguez.

15.49 Double For Dekker Looking Likely!

Dekker continues to lead. At this stage it appears as though he'll win the stage as well as inheriting the King of the Mountains jersey.

15.46 Dekker: Rous & Jan @ 40: Then Four @ 46"

With 4km to go Dekker leads two riders by 40", then come four riders at 46".

15.46 5km To Go For Dekker

Dekker is now talking to his team director, Theo De Rooy who is giving his final orders to the stage leader. The Rabobank rider has a lead of 39" on Rous & Jan's chase. He has 5km to go.

15.44 Dekker... Then Rous & Jan... Then Four Others

Dekker is pushing on with his solo effort. He leads the stage by 40" ahead of Rous and Jan's chase. Then comes a group of four riders. Then comes another group of four riders at 1'40".

15.41 Rous Is The Most Active Chaser

Didier Rous (Bonjour) is trying the hardest to get across to the leader, Dekker. He has been joined by Xavier Jan. The two Frenchmen are now the second group on the road.

15.40 The Situation With 10km To Go

Dekker leads a group of six riders - Pieri, Voskamp, Rodriguez, Rous, Garcia-Acosta & Jan by 44". Then comes a group of four riders - Mori, Radaelli, Sandstod and Larsen. There is no time check for the 3rd group. The peloton is 6'11" behind the stage leader.

15.38 Dekker 28" Clear Of Six Chasers

Dekker leads Pieri, Rous, Voskamp, Rodriguez, Jan & Garcia-Acosta by 28".

15.37 Dekker Still Solo

Dekker's lead over the six chasers is now 31".

15.36 Rous Is Caught By The Five Riders

Rous' effort is now void. He has been caught by the five riders which includes the US champion, Rodriguez.

15.26 Rous Attacks The Six Rider Group

Rous has attacked the six riders who were 22" behind Dekker at the last time check.

15.33 Peloton Behind 6'15"

The peloton is now within the final 20km. Their deficit to Dekker is 6'15".

15.26 Dekker Leads By 22"

Dekker is at the front of the race 22" ahead of the group of six chaser.

15.32 The Group Behind Dekker

The second group consists of Garcia-Acosta, Rodriguez, Pieri, Jan, Voskamp and Rous.

15.31 Double Dekker?

Dekker is still well clear of the chasing group. He has already won the right to wear the polka-dot jersey in tomorrow's stage, but is now after the win of stage 8... He leads his closest challengers by 30".

15.29 Dekker New King of the Mountains

Erik Dekker has won every climb today. He is now in the lead of the King of the Mountains classification.

15.26 Garcia-Acosta Back With 9 Others

Garcia-Acosta's attack amounted to nothing. The stage is still being led by the lone figure of Dekker with 10 riders now cooperating in the chase.

15.25 Garcia-Acosta Chasing Dekker

The Banesto rider of the 10-man group is in pursuit of the current stage leader, Dekker.

15.22 25km To Go For Dekker

Erik Dekker has passed under the 25km to go banner. He is alone at the head of the race. He leads a group of 10 riders followed by a group of six.

15.21 The 3rd Group

The third group on the road is Andreu, Boven, Maignan, Lino, Voigt and Guerini.

15.19 Dekker Now Leads A Group of 10

Dekker is alone at the front of the 8th stage. The next group is now 10-riders strong. They are 15" behind the Rabobank rider.

15.18 Dekker's Lead 12"

Dekker's first time check has him 12" ahead of Voskamp, Larsen, Rodriguez, Jan Rous, Garcia-Acosta, Jan, Radaelli, Sandstod and Pieri.

15.17 Dekker Leading Still

There is no time check on Dekker's lead, but he is most definitely out the front of the 8th stage all on his own.

15.16 The Second Group

In pursuit of Dekker is a group of eight or nine riders including Garcia-Acosta, Voskamp, Radaelli and Rous. The full list will follow.

15.15 Dekker Goes Solo

Erik Dekker has attacked after the sprint. He is now at the front of the stage on his own by about 100 meters.

15.14 Results Third Intermediate Sprint

The results of the Villereal Sprint at 172km are: 1. Bart Voskamp (Polti) 6pts 2. Didier Rous (Bonjour) 4pts 3. Dario Pieri (Saeco) 2pts

15.12 Voskamp Surges Again

Voskamp has attacked his group at the front of the again. It has thinned out the lead group a little. There are five riders at the front.

15.08 Three Teams With 2 Riders Up Front

Of the 17 riders at the front of the race, there are three teams with two riders present. They are Memory Card (Bo Larsen & Sandstod), Saeco (Mori & Pieri) and Rabobank (Boven & Dekker).

15.07 Farm Frites Now Assisting The Chase

The Farm Frites team is now up the front of the chasing peloton with the Mercatone Uno and Kelme teams.

15.05 Lead Now 5'15"

After the bout of attacks up front, the leading 17 have an advantage of 5'15".

15.05 17 Riders Up Front

The attacks broke up the 17 leaders for a little while but they are now all back together at the front of the race.

15.03 Voskamp Now Clear

Polti's Bart Voskamp is now alone at the front of the race. He attacked one Larsen & Mori's break was reeled in.

15.02 Not Sandstodt On The Attack: It Was Larsen

It was Nicolai Bo Larsen who attacked, not Sandstod.

15.01 Sadnstod Caught, But 12 Remain Up Front

The has been a regrouping at the front after Sandstod's attack. They have dropped 5 riders and now 12 are at the front of the race.

15.00 Sandstod Attacks The Lead Group

Michael Sandstod has attacked his fellow 16 escapees. He is joined at the front of the race by Mori. They currently have a lead on the rest of the break of about 100 meters.

14.59 Bare Butt For Guesdon

Frederic Guesdon, who fell in the neutral zone today, has ridden the entire stage with one of his butt-cheeks exposed thanks to torn knicks.

14.56 Flag Flying For Andreu & Rodriguez

There's a jeep speeding along in a paddock beside the race flying the US flag. The US champion, Fred Rodriguez is in the break along with compatriot, Frankie Andreu.

14.54 Pink & Green Peloton

The peloton is being led by both the Mercatone Uno and Kelme teams. There were whisperings of Farm Frites also joined the chase, but that's just one rider amidst the 16 or 17 Kelmes and Mercatones.

14.52 152km Raced; Lead 6'10"

The 17 leaders have pushed their lead back beyond 6 minutes. With 152km covered, they are now 6'10" ahead of the peloton.

14.48 Less Than 6 Minute Advantage At 50km To Go

The leaders have less than 50km to race. Their advantage is now under 6 minutes - 5'56" to be precise.

14.44 150km Raced

The leading 17 are currently at the 150km mark. Their lead is 6'15" on the Mercatone Uno-led peloton.

14.43 55km To Race

The leaders have 55km to race. There are still two mid-way prize points in the stage - the intermediate sprint at Villereal (172km) and the category-4 climb at Cote de Montflanquin (185km).

14.40 Voigt Loses His Grip On Virtual Lead... Again

As has been the case for Jens Voigt's two other escape attempts, he has again lost his virtual lead. The chasing peloton is now 6'46" behind the 17 escapees which includes Voigt.

14.38 Lead Down To 7'15"

The chasing peloton is reeling in the 17 leaders. The latest time advantage of Jens Voigt's group is 7'15".

14.35 Third Hour Average Speed

The average for the third hour was 42.1kph. The total average for the three hours of racing is 46.9kph.

14.32 Lead Under Eight Minutes

The chase by the Mercatone Uno team is slowly reeling in the leading 17 riders. The latest check has the group of Voigt 7'59" ahead of the peloton.

14.31 Dekker Leading Mountains Classification

Erik Dekker's aggression on the climbs today - winning all three climbs so far - has given him the currently lead in the King of the Mountains classification. He has a total of 24 points to Paolo Bettini's 23.

14.29 Advantage Now 8'15"

The 17 leader are 8'15" ahead of the peloton.

14.26 Kelme Join Mercatone's Chase

Mercatone Uno's efforts at the front of the chasing peloton is now being assisted by the Kelme team of last year's third overall, Fernando Escartin.

14.22 Lead Now Under 9 Minutes"

As the peloton pass the site of the second sprint (128km), their deficit to the 17 leaders was 8'40".

14.21 Last Stage Winner in Villeneuve-sur-Lot Now In The Chase

The Tour has finished in Villeneuve-sur-Lot only once before, in 1996. The winner then was Massimo Podenzana. He is now at the front of the chasing peloton with his Mercatone Uno team-mates. (He is also the oldest rider in this year's race).

14.17 Lead Now 9'10"

The 17 leaders are being reeled in by the chase of the Mercatone Uno team. As the peloton pass the 125km mark, the leaders have a 9'10" advantage.

14.16 Third Time Voigt Has Earned The Virtual Lead This Year

Jens Voigt is the best-placed of the riders at the front of the race. The German Credit Agricole rider began the day in 24th place, 6'58" off the overall lead. He is currently the virtual race leader. He was in a similar situation during escapes in stages two and five.

14.13 Results Of Second Intermediate Sprint

The leading 17 have contested the 2nd intermediate sprint. At Le Bugue (128km), the result was: 1. Nicolai Bo Larsen (MCJ) 6pts 2. Mauro Radaelli (Vini Caldirola) 4pts 3. Jens Voigt (CA) 2pts.

14.10 Lead Under 10 Minutes Now

The 17 leaders are 9'54" ahead of the pink Mercatone Uno train which is at the head of the peloton. So far 120km have been raced.

14.08 Serrano Returns To Peloton

Marcos Serrano has been caught by the peloton at the 118km mark.

14.08 The 17 Leaders' Names

The leading 17 riders are: Frankie Andreu, Vincente Garcia-Acosta, Jan Boven, Erik Dekker, Giuseppe Guerini, Massimilano Mori, Dario Pieri, Pascal Lino, Xavier Jan, Bart Voskamp, Nicolai Bo Larsen, Jens Voigt, Mauro Radaelli, Didier Rous, Fred Rodriguez, Gilles Maignan & Michael Sandstod.

14.04 Long Day For Serrano

The 17 leaders are now 7'20" ahead of Marcos Serrano. He is on his own in no-man's land 3'10" ahead of the peloton. The leading 17 have 80km to race.

14.01 Villeneuve-sur-Lot's Tour de France Connection

The town of today's finish, Villeneuve-sur-Lot, is the birth place of a rider by the name of Theophille Joyeuy. Monsieur Theoville claim to fame is that he is the first rider to do the Tour de France. In 1895 he rode 4,000km around France, on his own, in 19 days.

13.58 The Situation Now

There are now 17 leaders - including the recently-joined group of Fred Rodriguez - at the front of the race. They are 7'20" ahead of the ONCE rider, Marcos Serrano and 10'30" ahead of the peloton.

13.53 17 Leaders Now

The Rodriguez group has now caught the lead group. There are now 17 riders at the front of the race.

13.52 113km Raced

The Rodriguez group now has the 14 leaders within their sights. They are currently at the 113km mark.

13.50 Rodriguez Group Closing In On Leaders

The 3 chasers - Fred Rodriguez, Gilles Maignan and Michael Sandstod - is 47" behind the leading pack of 14 riders.

13.47 Mercatone Uno Chasing

The peloton is now being led by the Mercatone Uno team. The 14 escapees reached an advantage of 10'00" at the 100km mark.

13.42 100km Raced - 14 Lead Peloton by 10'00"

With the leaders now at the 100km mark of this 203.5km stage, is now 10'00" over the peloton.

13.40 Average Speed For Second Hour

The second hour average speed was 49.6kph. The average speed for the first two hours of racing was 49.35kph.

13.38 Voigt Virtual Leader... Again

The current advantage of the 14 riders has Credit Agricole's Jens Voigt in the virtual lead of the race... again. The German was in a similar position during the mid-way point of stages three and five.

13.35 The Situation At 96km

After 96km of racing the 14 leaders have an advantage of 1'52" on Rodriguez's group, 4'10" on Marcos Serrano's lone chase and 8'10" on the peloton.

13.31 Serrano Chasing Alone

The ONCE team has sent a rider off in pursuit of the 2 leading groups. Marcos Serrano is that man. He is now in 18th position on the road 4'10" behind the 14 leaders.

13.30 Rodriguez's Group 1'40" Behind Leaders

The three chasing riders - Rodriguez, Maignan and Sandstod - are 1'40" behind the 14 leaders.

13.28 Voigt Best-Placed Of 14 Leaders

With the 14 leaders now taking their advantage to 3'10" over the peloton, the best-placed of the leading group is Jens Voigt (CA). The German began the day in 24th place 6'58" off the overall lead of Alberto Elli.

13.23 The 14 Leaders

The 14 leaders are: Andreu (US Postal), Garcia-Acosta (Banesto), Boven & Dekker (Rabobank), Guerini (Tel), Mori & Pieri (Saeco), Lino (Festina), Jan (FDJ), Voskamp (Polti), Bo Larsen (MCJ), Voigt (CA), Radaelli (Vini Caldirola), Rous (Bonjour).

13.18 The Situation After 3rd Climb

The 14 leaders have an advantage of 1'30" on the three chasers - Rodriguez, Sandstod and Maignan. The peloton is 3'10" behind the leaders.

13.16 Results of 3rd Climb

The results of the cat-4 Cote de la Bachellerie (85km) are: 1. Dekker (Rabobank) 5pts 2. Voskamp (Polti) 3pts 3. Lino (Festina) 1pt.

13.13 The Situation At 84km

At the 84km mark, the leading 14 riders are 1'20" ahead of Rodriguez, Sandstod and Maignan. The peloton is 2'10" behind the leaders.

13.10 Rodriguez Gets Some Cooperation For Second Attempt

Fred Rodriguez has tried again. He has been joined by Michael Sandstod and Gilles Maignan. They are 1'15" behind the 14 leaders and 25" ahead of the peloton.

13.07 Rodriguez Caught

Rodriguez has been caught by the peloton. There are now 14 riders at the front of the race. Then the peloton. There are several riders including Parraudeau and Bouyer (Bonjour) who are off the back of the peloton.

13.05 US Champion Counter Attacks

Fred Rodriguez, the US champion from the Mapei team, has attacked the peloton. He is in pursuit of the 14 leaders who have a lead of 1'20". The peloton is 10" behind Rodriguez.

13.02 14 Lead By One Minute

At the 76km mark, the 14 leader have a one minute lead over the peloton.

13.01 First Hour Average Speed

The average speed for the first hour was an impressive 49.1kph.

12.59 74km Race - 58" Lead

The 14 leaders have passed the 74km mark. Their advantage on the peloton is 58".

12.56 Leader 50" Clear

The 14 leaders are 50" clear after the peloton has passed the summit of the 2nd climb today at 70km.

12.55 Results Of Second Climb

At results of the 2nd climb - the Cote de Hautefort (70km) are: 1. Erik Dekker (Rabobank) 5pts 2. Bart Voskamp (Polti) 3pts 3. Pascal Lino (Festina) 1pt.

12.51 Three Counter-Attackers Caught

Maignan's group of three has been caught by the peloton. The 14 riders at the front of the race have a lead of 55".

12.40 Three Counter Attackers

There are now three new counter-attackers. They are Mario Aerts (Lotto) Gilles Maignan (AG2R) and Manuel Beltran (Mapei). They are 40" behind the 14 leaders and 10 ahead of the peloton.

12.45 40" Lead For 14 Riders

The 14-rider break at the front of the race has a lead of 40".

12.45 63km The Second Group Caught

The 14 riders are on their own in front of a grouped peloton. The race is now at the 63km mark. The counter-attacking group have been caught by the peloton.

12.40 Another Group of 15 Chasing

The has been another surge from the front of the peloton. There are 15 riders involved. At this stage, there are no names or time checks available.

12.38 Three Riders Waiting For 11 Chasers

The group of Mori, Boven and Radaelli is now waiting for the chasing group which includes Andreu, Lino, Larsen & Voigt.

12.38 Dario Pieri In Second Group

One of the original attackers, Pieri, is now in with the group of 10 chasers.

12.37 10 Riders In Pursuit of Four Leaders

There are now 10 riders in pursuit of Mori's group. The riders involved are: Andreu (US Postal), Dekker (Rabobank), Lino (Festina), Jan (FDJ), Voskamp (Polti), Voigt (CA), Larsen (MCJ), Garcia-Acosta (Banesto) and Rous (Bonjour).

12.31 Results Of Lanouaille Sprint

At the 49.5km intermediate sprint the result is: 1. Mauro Radaelli (Vini Caldirola) 2. Dario Pieri (Saeco) 3. Massimiliano Mori (Saeco) The peloton were 22" behind at this stage.

12.29 Four Riders Attack

At the 48km mark four riders have attacked. They are Jan Boven, Massimiliano Mori, Dario Pieri and Mauro Radaelli. They have a lead of 13" with 1km to go to the intermediate sprint.

12.27 Intermediate Sprint Due Soon

The first intermediate sprint is due at Lanouaille (49.5km). The riders are now on the approach to the dash for green jersey points.

12.26 Jacky Durand Goes Again

Durand has attacked again. The Lotto rider surged from the front of the peloton as the Morin escape was caught, but Jacky's efforts were shortlived. He is now back in the bunch.

12.24 Attack Over

At the 45km mark, the escape with Morin was caught by the peloton. The bunch is now all together.

12.24 Another Attack Attempt

Pavel Padronos, Michael Blaudzun and Anthony Morin have attacked the peloton at the 39th kilometer. They are being chased by five others. The time checks and full list will follow...

12.19 Oldest Rider In Race

The only other time the Tour has had a stage finish in Villeneuve-sur-Lot, in 1996, the winner was Massimo Podenzana. Podenzana is in the 2000 Tour with the Mercatone Uno team. He is the oldest rider in this year's race - turning 39 at the end of the month.

12.11 35km Raced

With little over 40 minutes of racing the peloton has already covered 35km. The bunch is all together despite numerous escape attempts.

12.11 Mattan's Break Over

Mattan has been reeled in by the peloton. The race is now all together, but moving at a very rapid pace early in today's stage.

12.08 Mattan Has A Go

The attacks continue with the latest attempt coming from Cofidis' Nico Mattan. He has a lead of about 100 meters.

12.04 29km Raced At Rapid Pace

The early attacks today has seen the stage begin at an extremely rapid pace. The peloton has covered 29km in the first 35 minutes of racing.

12.04 Marichal's Break Over

Thierry Marichal was being chased by Cassani (Polit), Bo Larsen (MCJ) and Hoj (FDJ). Their break is now all over.

12.00 New Attack at 24km

Thierry Marichal has attacked the peloton at 24km. He is being chased by a host of counter-attackers.

11.58 Break Over at 22km

The 16 leader has been caught by the US Postal-led peloton. The break began in the first kilometer and was caught at 22km.

11.57 10" Lead Now

The US Postal team is at the head of the chasing peloton. The 16 leaders have a tender advantage of just 10".

11.56 Leading 16 Now 20" Clear

The leading 16 have a 20" advantage. Several riders are losing contact with the back of the fast-moving peloton. The dropped riders include Contreras (Kelme) and Kirsipuu (AG2R).

11.51 27" For 16 Leaders

After 15km of racing, the 16 leaders have an advantage of 27".

11.50 The 16 Leaders

After the 1st climb, the riders clear are: Garcia-Acosta & Rodriguez (Banesto), Dufaux, Commesso & Mori (Saeco), Meier & Lelli (Cofidis), Robin & Rous (Bonjour), Kivilev (AG2R), Bettini & Nardello (Banesto), Dekker (Rabobank), Vinokourov & Zabel (Telekom) & Botero (Kelme).

11.43 30" For Leading 17"

The leading 17 are 30" ahead of the peloton. Two riders, Koerts (Farm Frites) and Nazon (FDJ), are off the back of the chasing peloton.

11.40 18 Riders 25" Clear

There are two leading jerseys in the break. They are Salvatore Commesso's white jersey of Best Young Rider and Paolo Bettini's polka-dot jersey of King of the Mountains. They are now 25" clear.

11.36 18 Riders Now Clear

Dekker has been joined by 17 others at the front o the race. The names of those involved will follow next. They have a lead of 21".

11.34 Dekker Attacks In First Kilometer

Erik Dekker (Rabobank) has attacked in the first kilometer of today's 203.5km stage.

11.33 Racing For 174 Riders

The eighth stage of the 2000 Tour de France has officially begun. The time for the start was 11.30am.

11.32 Small Fall In The Neutral Zone

There has been a fall in the neutral zone. The riders involved are all back on their bikes and nearing the official start on the outskirts of Limoges.

11.30 Climatic Conditions For Stage Eight

The weather forecast for today's eighth stage is for slightly overcast conditions with a temperature at the start of 21 degrees (C) and a predicted maximum at the finish in Villeneuve-sur-Lot of 25 degrees (C).

11.28 Doping Controls Of First Three Stages All Clear

The UCI confirmed today that the doping controls at the conclusion of the first three stages of the 2000 Tour de France returned no positive tests.

11.24 The Intermediate Sprints

The three intermediate sprints - which offer the first three riders across the line 6, 4 & 2 points (and time bonuses of 6", 4" & 2") - are evenly spaced throughout today's stage. These sprints are at Lanouaille (49.5km), Le Bugue (128km) and Villereal (165km).

11.21 The Climbs Today

The eighth stage feature four low-ranked climbs. The first, is a 433m cateogry-3 rise up the Cote de Petit-puy-Matheiu, at the 11km mark. The others, all category-4, are the Cote de Hautefort (at 70km), the Cote de la Bachellerie (85km) and the Cote de Montflanguin (185km).

11.16 A 4.9km Neutral Zone Before The Start-Proper

There is a 4.9km neutral-zone which will bring the riders to the outskirts of Limoges and the official start of the eighth stage.

10.46 Stage 8 Scheduled To Start At 11.20am

The eighth stage of the 2000 Tour de France is due to be begin at 11.20pm. The 203.5km course takes the riders from the site of Christophe Agnolutto's solo win yesterday, Limoges, south to the town of Villeneuve-sur-Lot.