Back to 2013 Tour de France | Stage 7 photos (posted below results and maps) |

Friday, July 5: Stage 7, Montpellier - Albi, 205.5 km

Rated Ascents:

• Km 80.0: Col des 13 Vents (600m), 6.9 km @ 5.6% gradient, Category 3
• Km 94.5: Col de la Croix de Mounis (809m), 6.7 km @ 6.5%, Category 2
• Km 149.0: Côte de la Quintaine, 6.5 km @ 4%, Category 3
• Km 171.0: Côte de Teillet, 2.6 km @ 5%, Category 4

Weather: At finish in Albi, 12:25 PM local time: 23C (74F), going to 29C (85F) and sunny. Wind at 5 kph (3mph) from west-northwest changing wind from the west at 8 kph (5 mph). Humidity 57%

The Race: This was a fast, hard day of racing! 190 started today. Astana's Janez Brajokovic banged up his knee yesterday and couldn't start, leaving Astana with only six riders. Early in the stage Christian Vande Velde abandoned.

Jens Voigt and Blel Kadri rode off the front in the first kilometers. The pair's lead grew to more than four minutes.

On the second-category Croix de Mounis Cannondale really upped the speed in the peloton, and as intended, dropped the pure sprinters like André Greipel and Mark Cavendish. Cannondale's pacing efforts swept up the two fugitives at 97 km to go.

Omega Pharma sent several riders back to try to pace Cavendish back up to the bunch. Argos-Shimano and Lotto-Belisol joined the sprinters' chase. Marcel Kittel, André Greipel and Mark Cavendish were 2min 45sec behind with 88 km to go. Cannondale continued to hammer away at the front of the yellow jersey group making the stage an exciting pursuit.

Sagan took the intermediate sprint, hoovering up the 20 Green Jersey points. With that, Cannondale relented a bit in their pacemaking and Orica-GreenEdge started contributing. The sprinters' group went through the intermediate sprint point 2min 33sec later.

With the race's speed easing a bit a trio (Jan Bakelants, Cyril Gautier and Juan José Oroz) scooted away. The trio went over the top of the third category Quintaine 50 seconds ahead of the Cannodale-led Yellow Jersey Group with the sprinters cresting another two minutes behind. Bakelants was the virtual Yellow Jersey.

With the break starting to look dangerous (Bakelants was doing almost half the work) Orica-GreenEdge started to send riders to the front but Cannondale was still doing most of the work. Both the Yellow-Jersey and Sprinters' groups remained lined-out by the high speed. This was a prodigous amount of energy for the pack to spend the day before the first day in the high mountains.

With 43 km to go the sprinters' two-hour chase seemed to be over, the chasers sat up and the gap to the Yellow Jersey quickly grew to three minutes.

The Bakelants break pressed on. With Cannondale determined to bring things together for Peter Sagan, the uncooperative escapees still had 40 seconds with 17 km to go. The sprinters were now 10 minutes back.

The trio was caught with three km to go and Cannondale was still controlling the front. In the sprint Sagan looked boxed in but as soon as he found daylight he went by John Degenkolb for the stage win. Daryl Impey was in the front group to retain his lead.

Results: 188 classified finishers

1. Peter Sagan (Cannondale) 4hr 54min 12sec. 41.9 km/hr

2. John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano) s.t.
3. Daniele Bennati (Saxo-Tinkoff) s.t.
4. Davide Cimolai (Lampre-Merida) s.t.
5. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky) s.t.
6. Francesco Gavazzi (Astana) s.t.
7. Tony Gallopin (Radio Shack) s.t.
8. Arthur Vichot (FDJ) s.t.
9. Manuele Mori (Lampre-Merida) s.t.
10. Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) s.t.
11. Ramunas Navardauskas (Garmin-Sharp) s.t.
12. Daryl Impey (Orica-GrteenEdge) s.t.
13. Juan Antonio Flecha (Vacansoleil) s.t.
14. Alexis Vuillermoz (Sojasun) s.t.
15. Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) s.t.
16. Brasm Tankink (Belkin) s.t.
17. Philippe Gilbert (BMC) s.t.
18. Wouter Poels (Vacansoleil) s.t.
19. Davide Malacarne (Europcar) st.
20. Chris Riblon (Ag2r) s.t.
21. Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) s.t.
22. Laurent Didier (Radio Shack) s.t.
23. Christopher Froome (Sky) s.t.
24. Rui Alberto Costa (Movistar) s.t.
25. Cadel Evans (BMC) s.t.
26. Jens Voigt (Radio Shack) s.t.
27. Romain Bardet (Ag2r) s.t.
28. Julien El Fares (Sojasun) s.t.
29. Richie Porte (Sky) s.t.
30. Roman Kreuziger (Saxo-Tinkoff) s.t.
31. Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) s.t.
32. Peter Velits (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) s.t.
33. Nicolas Roche (Saxo-Tinkoff) s.t.
34. Tom Dumoulin (Argos-Shimano) s.t.
35. Romain Sicard (Euskaltel) s.t.
36. Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff) s.t.
37. Jean-Christophe Péraud (Ag2r) s.t.
38. Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEdge) s.t.
39. Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Merida) s.t.
40. Thomas Danielson (Garmn-Sharp) s.t.
41. Maxime Monfort (Radio Shack) s.t.
42. Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre-Merida) s.t.
43. Fabio Sabatini (Cannondale) s.t.
44. Andreas Klöden (Radio Shack) s.t.
45. Brent Bookwalter (BMC) s.t.
46. Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) s.t.
47. Laurens Ten Dam (Belkin) s.t.
48. Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel) s.t.
49. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) s.t.
50. Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) s.t.

General Classification: 1,150 km raced so far.

1. Daryl Impey (Orica-GreenEdge) 27hr 12min 29sec
2. Edvald Boasson hagen (Sky) @ 3sec
3. Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) @ 5sec
4. Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEdge) s.t.
5. Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) @ 6sec
6. Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) s.t.
7. Christopher Froome (sky) @ 8sec
8. Richie Porte (Sky) s.t.
9. Nicolas Roche (Saxo-Tinkoff) @ 14sec
10. Roman Kreuziger (Saxo-Tinkoff) s.t.
11. Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff) s.t.
12. Michael Rogers (Saxo-Tinkoff) s.t.
13. Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) @ 22sec
14. Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) s.t.
15. Daniel Martin (Garmn-Sharp) s.t.
16. Thomas Danielson (Garmin-Sharp) s.t.
17. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) @ 25sec
18. Rui Alberto Costa (Movistar) s.t.
19. Nairo Alexander Quintana (Movistar) s.t.
20. Andrey Amador (Movistar) s.t.
21. Prezemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre-Merida) @ 30sec
22. Cadel Evans (BMC) @ 31sec
23. Philippe Gilbert (BMC) s.t.
24. Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) s.t.
25. Amaël Moinard (BMC) s.t.
26. Eduard Vorganov (Katusha) @ 33sec
27. Jan Bakelants (Radio Shack) s.t.
28. Juan Antonio Flecha (Vacansoleil) s.t.
29. Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) s.t.
30. Daniel Moreno (Katusha) 2 33sec
31. Peter Sagan (Cannondale) @ 34sec
32. Maxime Monfort (Radio Shack) s.t.
33. Andy Schleck (Radio Shack) s.t.
34. Haimar Zubeldia (Radio Shack) s.t.
35. Andreas Klöden (Radio Shack) s.t.
36. Wouter Poels (Vacansoleil) @ 38sec
37. Bauke Mollema (Belkin) @ 42sec
38. Bram Tankink (Belkin) s.t.
39. Laurens Ten Dam (Belkin) s.t.
40. Lars-Peter Nordhaug (Belkin) s.t.
41. Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) @ 47sec
42. Arnold Jeannesson (FDJ) s.t.
43. Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) @ 1min 1sec
44. Jean-Christophe Péraud (Ag2r) @ 1min 9sec
45. Romain Bardet (Ag2r) s.t.
46. John Gadret (Ag2r) s.t.
47. Maxime Mederel (Sojasun) @ 1mn 15sec
48. Davide Malacarne (Europcar) @ 1min 18sec
49. Pierre Rolland (Europcar) s.t.
50. Manuele Mori (Lampre-Merida) @ 1min 21sec

Climber:

1. Blel Kadri (Ag2r): 12 points
2. Pierre Rolland (Europcar): 11
3. Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEdge): 5
4. Thomas de Gendt (Vacansoleil): 4
5. Jens Voigt (Radio Shack): 4

Points:

1. Peter Sagan (Cannondale): 224 points
2. André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol): 130
3. Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step): 119
4. Alexander Kristoff (Katusha): 111
5. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky): 88

Young Rider:

1. Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) 27hr 12min 35sec
2. Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) @ 16sec
3. Nairo Alexander Quintana (Movistar) @ 19sec
4. Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) @ 25sec
5. Peter Sagan (Cannondale) @ 28sec

Team Classification:

1. Orica-GreenEdge: 80hr 45min 40sec
2. Sky @ 8sec
3. Saxo-Tinkoff @ 19sec
4. Movistar @ 25sec
5. Garmin-Sharp @ 27sec

Stage 7 map

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Stage 7 Photos

Thomas Voeckler at the start

Pierre Rolland will start tomorrow's stage in his normal Europcar kit after Bele Kadri took the KOM lead by one point.

Andrew Talansky signs autographs before the start.

Markel Irizar grabs some chow for the road before the start.

Sylvain Chavanel

Richie Porte

Battered by injuries, Christian Vande Velde had to abandon his last Tour de France.

So far Andy Schleck has ridden a perfect race. We'll see what he's got in the tank tomorrow at the top of Ax 3 Domaines.

For super-climber Joaquin Rodriguez, the Tour starts tomorrow.

After spending hours at the front, Cannondale still had to execute a leadout for Peter Sagan (third in line).

The pack goes under the flamme rouge.

Cannodale's work paid off with a stage win and a very firm grip on the Green Jersey.

All the contenders including Cadel Evans (center, BMC) finished in good order.

Ryder Hesjedal

Mark Cavendish finsihed in the sprinters' group, 106th, 14min 53 seconds down.

Stage winner Peter Sagan

Blel Kadri is the new King of the Mountains.

After a hard day of racing Daryl Impey remained the leader.