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07/11 11:01 CDT Merlier wins stage 8 of Tour as race favorite Pogacar keeps yellow jersey Merlier wins stage 8 of Tour as race favorite Pogacar keeps yellow jersey BERGERAC, France (AP) --- Belgian rider Tim Merlier won the eighth stage of the Tour de France in a sprint finish to claim back-to-back-stage victories, while defending champion Tadej Pogacar kept the race leader's yellow jersey on Saturday. Four-time champion Pogacar finished in the main pack along with two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard and maintained his overall lead of 2 minutes, 42 seconds over his main rival. Pogacar's teammate Isaac del Toro is third. Stage 8 took the peloton on a 180-kilometer (112-mile) route from Prigueux to the southeastern city of Bergerac in sweltering conditions, amid another heatwave. For the second day running, Mathieu van der Poel rode hard to put his teammate Jasper Philipsen at the front, but their attack came too early and Merlier timed his run to the line perfectly for a fifth career stage win in the showcase race. Eritrean Biniam Girmay finished second and Dutchman Olav Kooij was third, all timed at 3 hours, 52 minutes, 50 seconds. Stage 9 on Sunday is a hilly trek from Malemort to Ussel in central France. The race concludes with its traditional finish in Paris on July 26. -__ AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

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