Stage 7 of this year's Tour de France had a couple of small climbs at the end of the 234 kilometer course, but they weren't difficult enough to protect a breakaway -- and the teams of the peloton were able to set up their fastest sprinters for a dash to the finish line. The stage finished in a photo finish -- and after examining the finish it was determined that Italian Matteo Trentin had edged out Slovakian Peter Sagan for the win. Tony Gallopin of France finished in third. The second place finish for Sagan did allow him to increase his lead in the battle for the Green Jersey though.
This could have been the last day for the sprinters though -- at least for a while. While the next stage is mostly flat for the first 130 kilometers, the last 30 kilometers has three climbs -- two difficult category 2 climbs, and then a category 3 climb at the finish. The race gets serious now and the next week or so will be spent in the high mountains, where the contenders will undoubtably be separated from this year's pretenders. Here are the current standings:
YELLOW JERSEY (Overall Race Leader)
1. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) Astana Pro Team
2. Jakob Fuglsang (Denmark) Astana Pro Team..........0' 02"
3. Peter Sagan (Slovakia) Cannondale..........0' 44"
4. Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland) Omega Pharma-Quick Step..........0' 50"
5. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Belgium) Lotto-Belisol..........1' 45"
6. Tony Gallopin (France) Lotto-Belisol..........1' 45"
7. Richie Porte (Australia) Team Sky..........1' 54"
8. Andrew Talansky (United States) Garmin-Sharp..........2' 05"
9. Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spain) Movistar Team..........2' 11"
10. Romain Bardet (France) AG2R La Mondiale..........2' 11"
11. Rui Alberto Costa (Portugal) Lampre-Merida..........2' 11"
12. Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) Trek Factory Racing..........2' 20"
GREEN JERSEY (Best Sprinter)
1. Peter Sagan (Slovakia) Cannondale..........259 pts
2. Bryan Coquard (France) Team Europcar..........146 pts
3. Marcel Kittel (Germany) Team Giant-Shimano..........137 pts
4. Alexander Kristoff (Norway) Team Katusha..........117 pts
5. Mark Renshaw (Australia) Omega Pharma-Quick Step..........95 pts
6. Andre Greipel (Germany) Lotto-Belisol..........91 pts
POLKA DOT JERSEY (Best Climber)
1. Cyril Lemoine (France) Cofidis, Solutions Credits..........6 pts2. Blel Kadri (France) AG2R La Mondiale..........5 pts
3. Jens Voigt (Germany) Trek Factory Racing..........4 pts
4. Nicolas Edet (France) Cofidis, Solutions Credits..........4 pts
WHITE JERSEY (Best Young Rider)
1. Peter Sagan (Slovakia) Cannondale2. Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland) Omega Pharma-Quick Step..........0' 06"
3. Romain Bardet (France) AG2R La Mondiale..........1' 27"
4. Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands) Team Giant-Shimano..........1' 41"
5. Thibaut Pinot (France) FDJ.FR..........2' 40"
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Astana Pro Team (Kazakhstan)2. Belkin Pro Cycling (Netherlands)..........4' 18"
3. Team Sky (Great Britain)..........6' 31"
4. BMC Racing Team (United States)..........7' 08"
5. Trek Factory Racing (United States)..........8' 25"
