Frenchman Sylvain Calzati has claimed the eighth stage of the Tour de France, a 181km stretch from St Meen-le-Grand to Lorient.

The AG2R rider, whose only previous victory was the Tour de l'Avenir in 2004, sped clear from a leading group 30km from the finish and never looked back.

Finn Kjell Carlstrom finished second and Frenchman Patrice Halgand third, two minutes and five seconds behind.

"It's the most beautiful day of my life," said Calzati.

Australian Robbie McEwen won the mass sprint for fourth, two minutes 15 seconds after Calzati, the last pick in his team's choice for the Tour, crossed the line.

Ukraine's Serhiy Honchar of the T-Mobile team retained the overall leader's yellow jersey after finishing in McEwen's bunch, while Australian Michael Rogers is third, 1min 08sec back.

After a first breakaway attempt was caught by the peloton, six riders then tried their luck after the village of Plouguenast 135km from the finish.

CSC American rider David Zabriskie, German Matthias Kessler (T-Mobile), Belgian Mario Aerts (Davitamon Lotto), Calzati and Carlstrom (Liquigas) were joined by Halgand (Credit Agricole) and opened a seven-minute gap, but it was the 27-year-old Calzati who asserted in the end.

They were cheered by thousands of spectators on the Mur de Bretagne, a two-km third-category ascent in a region which is the heart of cycling in France.

The riders fly to Bordeaux later on Sunday before enjoying a rest day on Monday.

The race resumes on Tuesday with the ninth stage, a 169.5km ride from Bordeaux to Dax, the last flat stage before the Pyrenees.

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