PARIS, July 8 -- French rider Lilian Calmejane withstood cramps five kilometers from the finish to claim his first stage win in Saturday's eighth stage of the 2017 Tour de France, while British Christopher Froome kept his yellow jersey after suffering his own scare in the race.

The initial phase saw several attempts to break away end in a failure, before a nine-member group were formed with 24km remaining.

However, it was the Dutchman Robert Gesink himself that could catch up with Calmejane into the final 12 kilometers.

The Frenchman once built a 30-second lead and first crossed the line for a first-category climb, but found that the win might fade away from him due to his cramps.

The resilient Direct Energie rider managed to win the race with a 37-second adavantage, with another French rider Guillaume Martin on third.

For Calmejane, taking away the stage win in his first Tour meant a dream that has come true.

"I still cannot believe it, because it's something that I have dreamed of since the start," he said, adding that he was close to a "catastrophe", but it was simply his day.

Team Sky led the peloton to finish the race, and their top racer Froome could maintain his 12-second lead against teammate Geraint Thomas for the yellow jersey, with Italian rider Fabio Aru adrift 14 seconds from Froome on third.

But Froome could not expect a relaxing day just as he did in two previous stages, as he and Thomas made a flaw swerve off the road.

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