12 July 2004	Monday	23 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

QUIMPER, July 11: Norway's Thor Hushovd claimed the 168-km eighth stage victory at the Tour de France on Sunday while Lance Armstrong eased into the second week in ideal position.

The short ride on the rain soaked and bumpy roads of Brittany between Lamballe and Quimper again crowned a strong finisher as the winner. Norwegian champion Hushovd had finished on the podium twice in the beginning of the Tour and even held the race leader's yellow jersey for one day.

Hushovd, who also won a stage two years ago in Bourg-en-Bresse, beat Luxembourg's Kim Kirchen and German veteran Erik Zabel in the tough last stretch to the finish line.

The first week belonged as planned to sprinters and to young promising riders like Frenchman Thomas Voeckler, who will keep his yellow jersey in Monday's rest day.

Five-time champion Armstrong remains sixth 9:35 behind Voeckler. At this stage, Armstrong's challenge of becoming the first rider to win the Tour six times looks more valid than ever.

The American was involved in two crashes on Friday but escaped unhurt. Another crash marred Sunday's stage when a dog crossed the road as the peloton were riding past, sending a dozen riders on to the tarmac.

After a first week of cobbles, rain, crashes and jitters, Armstrong has already seen off two of his most serious rivals, Iban Mayo and Gilberto Simoni, who lost too much ground to remain in contention when the serious battle starts.

Fellow-American Tyler Hamilton was also involved in a pile-up on Friday and hurt his back. But he remains Armstrong's toughest opponent along with German Jan Ullrich, who was unseen and unheard of for a week, a perfect situation for a potential Tour winner.

On Monday, the 176 riders left in the bunch will lick their wounds and hope for brighter weather on a rest day in Limoges in the very centre of France. es in the very centre of France.

Leading placings in the eighth stage (from Lamballe to Quimper: 1. Thor Hushovd (Norway) Credit Agricole 3:54.22; 2. Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg) Fassa Bortolo, 3. Erik Zabel (Germany) T-Mobile, 4. Robbie McEwen (Australia) Lotto-Domo, 5. Andreas Kloeden (Germany) T-Mobile, 6. Tom Boonen (Belgium) Quick Step-Davitamon, 7. Laurent Brochard (France) AG2R, 8. Stuart O'Grady (Australia) Cofidis, 9. Oscar Pereiro Sio (Spain) Phonak, 10. Danilo Hondo (Germany) Gerolsteiner, 11. David Etxebarria (Spain) Euskaltel, 12. Allan Davis (Australia) Liberty Seguros, 13. Michele Scarponi (Italy) Domina Vacanze, 14. Sergio Marinangeli (Italy) Domina Vacanze, 15. Francisco Mancebo Perez (Spain) Illes Balears, 16. Matthias Kessler (Germany) T-Mobile, 17. Oscar Sevilla (Spain) Phonak, 18. Inigo Landaluze (Spain) Euskaltel, 19. Axel Merckx (Belgium) Lotto-Domo, 20. Yuriy Krivtsov (Ukraine) AG2R all same time. -Reuters