GERARDMER, France -- In a solo breakaway, Blel Kadri gave France its first stage winner at the Tour de France in the entree to the Vosges mountains on Saturday. Meanwhile, Vincent Nibali extended his lead over his biggest rivals except an important one: Two-time champion Alberto Contador. Over two minutes back, an attacking Contador duelled with Nibali to capture second place at the uphill finish of a rainy 161-kilometre (100-mile) ride from Tomblaine to Gerardmer La Mauselaine ski resort. Contador gained only seconds on Nibali, and was still 2 1/2 minutes behind him, but the threat was loud and clear. The overall standings changed after Stage 8, with mostly strong climbers at the top. Kadri, sensing his looming victory in the last kilometre, clasped hands in joy with a staffer of his AG2R Mondiale team, who was alongside him in a team car. He kissed his fingers to the crowd and smiled broadly at the line. "Today was my day, and Im really, really, really happy," he said after his maiden Tour stage win. "We work all year for good performances in this race. ... Today it paid off." Kadri emerged from a five-man breakaway that chiselled out a lead of as many as 11 minutes. None of the breakaway riders threatened Nibalis yellow jersey: The highest-placed among them started the stage nearly 26 1/2 minutes back. Contador attacked as he and Nibali passed under the red flag marking one kilometre to go. But the Italian couldnt be shaken -- hewing right on the Spaniards back wheel except for Contadors final surge at the line. "Im not explosive, but I held my own," Nibali said. "I tried to respond as best I could to his attack ... he moved a lot, I really wanted to stick close to him ... in the last 100 metres he accelerated a lot." The ride featured three mid-grade climbs in the first of three days in the mid-sized Vosges range near the German border. 90. Christian Meier of Langley, B.C., was 90th, finishing in a peloton that clocked in at 4:7:19. Svein Tuft, also from Langley, was in the same group, finishing the stage 110th. Meier is 143rd in the overall standings, while Tuft is 146th. American Andrew Talansky had trouble and lost time in the title chase to other contenders. In the final ascent, he skidded off the wet road and fumbled -- with help from a fan -- to repair what seemed to be a problem with his bike. A race medical report said he had multiple contusions. Talansky, the Garmin-Sharp team leader, finished more than two minutes behind Nibali and Contador, and trailed the leader by 4 minutes, 22 seconds in 16th place overall. He started the ride in eighth, 2:05 down. Overall, Nibali led Astana teammate Jakob Fuglsang of Denmark in second by 1 minute, 44 seconds. Australias Richie Porte of Team Sky, who finished fourth on Saturday, was 1:58 back in third. Spains Alejandro Valverde was fifth, 2:27 adrift, and Contador was sixth, 2:34 behind. The breakaway five chiselled out their maximum lead with about 50 kilometres (30 miles) left, and the pack began to accelerate. With around 25 kilometres left, the lead dwindled to 4 1/2 minutes. Frances Sylvain Chavanel pressed the pace among the five in front, then Kadri overtook him, pedalling alone up the final climb. There were fewer crashes than in recent days. Before the stage, Swiss rider Mathias Frank, the leader of the IAM Cycling team, withdraw because of broken left femur in a crash on Friday. Frank, who was runner-up in the Tour de Suisse last month, underwent surgery in Geneva on Saturday. The toughest ride in the Vosges will come on Monday when cyclists face seven ascents, including an uphill finish to the storied ski resort La Planche des Belles Filles. The pack faces six ascents on Sunday with a 170-kilometre (106-mile) ride from Gerardmer to Mulhouse. Fake Mariners Jerseys . Louis Cardinals continued their offensive tear with a 9-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opener of a four-game series. Wholesale Mariners Jerseys . Halladays resume as a Blue Jay is among the elite in the franchises 36-year history. Over 12 seasons in Toronto, he was named an All-Star six times. He had arguably the finest campaign of his career in 2003 when he posted a 22-7 record, a 3. https://www.cheapmariners.com/ . They probably ruined Tim Duncans hopes of a career change, though. Duncan wants to be a point guard, coach Gregg Popovich revealed Saturday, a wish that wont be granted. Seattle Mariners Shirts . LOUIS -- The Tampa Bay Rays have placed right-handed pitcher Joel Peralta on the 15-day disabled list with an undisclosed illness. Stitched Mariners Jerseys . "I could have been equipment manager but nooooo" from Lisa on Ice. Season 6, Episode 8.MONTREAL - Some quotes about Jean Beliveau and his funeral in Montreal on Wednesday:It was grandiose. We had a whole week where we heard such great stories, from the fans, the media and old players. It ended here and it was a phenomenal service. — Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson. — — —Everybodys here out of respect to a wonderful man who meant so much, not just to the game of hockey, but to this province and this country. He was revered by everyone and he will be terribly missed. — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.— — —I dont think the people are paying respect to the hockey player or the 10 Stanley Cups. They are paying respect to the man who lived a life of no reproach. A lot of people say he lived a perfect life. The only perfect person that I thought existed was my wife. Now Im starting to think that this man was perfect. He was an idol. — former Canadiens coach Jacques Demers. — — —He was a man that made a big impression on my life. I met him a few times and its not something you will ever forget. — former Quebec premier Jean Charest.— — —It was extraordinary what the Canadiens did (to commemorate Jean) and it took a lot of pressure off the family. Jean for us was a model. He was someone we admired. He was a giant. What I took away from his life was that you always have to respect others, everyone is important, and what you do to others comes back to you. He is my definition of a captain. — Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre. — — —Growing up, there was always talk of how classy (Jean) was. My father told me to make sure you shake everyones hand and talk just like Mr. Beliveau. He meant so much to my family. — former Los Angeles Kings winger Luc Robitaille.— — —He was a great Canadian and the word for him was respect, all his life. — former prime minister Jean Chretien.— — —Ive been in this city forr many many years and people always talk about the sports figures.dddddddddddd And Jean Beliveaus name always came up. And I got a chance to meet him a few times in this city. People always talked very highly of him, so its just a matter of coming out here and showing some respect. — ex-Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo.— — —I think he touched so many people and what he did with the puck and how he conducted himself off the ice. Hes the greatest person to have ever played the game. And hes a legend. — Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban.— — — This is a bigger deal than Montreal. Its not just Quebec, its not just Canada, this is worldwide. He touched everybody. Whether its hockey fans or just citizens he gave everyone the same amount of respect and I think thats why this is such an important day for everybody. — Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty.— — —Its been a tough week for everybody, but I think at the end of the day were all thankful that were here, being a part of this. Its an honour for all of us to be here. Its probably the most emotional day, and I think going forward we cant forget a day like this. — Pacioretty. — — —Im extremely proud to be a Hab right now, the way everything was handled by the organization and this city in general. Its really amazing to see one person really unify a whole city. — Canadiens goaltender Carey Price. — — —I feel really privileged to be a part of, and you just try to represent it the best you can. Mr. Beliveau did an unbelievable job of setting the stage for what it means to be a Montreal Canadien. He set the bar really high. He was an unbelievable example, and I think that was passed down from generation to generation. Now its up to us to make sure his message and his legacy gets passed on. — Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher. — — — ' ' '