Etixx – Quick-Step rider Mark Cavendish maneuvered his way to a sprint win in the 190.5km Tour de France Stage 7 on Friday. The Manx Missile weaved around from being boxed in behind Alexander Kristoff (Katusha), to launching perfectly off the wheel of Andre Greipel (Lotto Soudal) to cross the line as the victor.
Greipel was 2nd, and Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) finished 3rd.
Mark Renshaw escorted Mark through the middle of the chaos just in time for the finale, despite an aggressive fight on the front for position between leadout trains of the peloton.
“The last two sprints the team did well,” Cavendish said. “I’ve just been too anxious and gone too early. The thing about Le Tour, in another race you maybe wait. In Le Tour you don’t want to wait. In another race you maybe got one or two guys coming around you. In Le Tour you have 10 guys coming around you, there are so many strong sprinters and teams here. If you hesitate, you lose the stage.”
“Andre sprinted straight,” Cavendish added. “He’s a gentleman. I was able to come through and pass him on the right. I had the same power in my legs as I had the other days that ended in sprints. It’s just, if you wait and launch later, you’re going to go with more immediate power than you would with 250 or 300 meters to go like I did the other times. So, after being a little more patient, I’m super happy with my victory today, which is the 26th of my career. Every one of the 26 wins is special.”
Fifth Top-3 Finish for Sagan
Tinkoff-Saxo’s fast man Peter Sagan took 3rd place on stage 7 of Tour de France in a traditional head-to-head sprint, where Mark Cavendish drew the longest straw. Sagan notes that despite a lack of karma, he believes that the sought-after stage win will materialize. Alberto Contador was pleased with the outcome of the stage and looks forward to Mûr-de-Bretagne.
After crossing the finish line in third place behind Mark Cavendish and André Greipel, Sagan told the press that his spirit is high despite taking his fifth top-three placing during the first week of racing at Le Tour.
“It’s not easy, that’s for sure,” said Sagan. “But it will come, just be patient. It was a very difficult sprint but I think I’m doing well. I didn’t crash and I was there in the finale. I was on Degenkolb’s wheel just before the final sprint and then I was on the wheel of André Greipel in the final meters but Cavendish was very fast today. I gave it my best and now I look forward to tomorrow and then we’ll start to think about the team time trial. I think the most important is that I’m in good condition and I have avoided crashes and I will definitely try again.”
BMC Keeps Two in Top Ten
BMC Racing Team’s Tejay van Garderen stayed third overall Friday at the Tour de France while teammate Greg Van Avermaet moved from sixth to fifth following the non-start due to injury of previous race leader Tony Martin (Etixx-Quick Step).
Van Garderen is 13 seconds behind new race leader Chris Froome (Team Sky) and two seconds behind Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo), who slotted into second overall on the strength of a time bonus for finishing third on the stage.
“There were a lot of narrow roads out there, but the wind and the weather was not so bad,” van Garderen said. “In the last 50 kilometers or so, on some of those narrow roads, we started feeling a little bit of the nerves. But compared to the other days, today was pretty tranquil.”
Chris Froome Inherits Yellow Jersey
Froome described being back in the Tour de France leader’s yellow jersey as a “privilege” but admitted Tony Martin crashing out was not the way he wanted to reclaim it.
Froome confirmed his return to the top of the general classification by finishing safely in the peloton on stage seven after previous leader Martin failed to take to the start line due to the broken collarbone he sustained in a fall on stage six.
Froome, who didn’t wear the yellow jersey on Friday as he was not officially the leader, now heads second-placed Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) by five seconds overall and third-placed Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing) by 13 seconds.
Teklehaimanot Extends KOM Lead
For MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung it was another terrific day as Daniel Teklehaimanot got to start the stage in the Polka Dot jersey he earned yesterday. With a category 4 climb coming just 12km into today’s stage, Daniel was keen to show off his new jersey in the break as he looked to further his lead in the King of the Mountians competition. Daniel was successful in his task and got into a 5 rider move inside the first 5km.
Daniel would comfortably take the single point on offer at the top of the Cote de Canapville. Initially the team plan was for Daniel to secure the point and then return to the peloton but with sky high confidence at the moment, Daniel chose to push on in the breakaway for the day.
“It was a great moment to start in the jersey this morning,” said Teklehaimanot after the stage. “We obviously had a plan with the early categorised climb today so that’s why our team was in front to keep things under control before the start. It was good though that I could get away early and then won the point. I wanted to keep going and wasn’t worried about saving power for the next weeks because I am feeling strong. Every day we can spend in the jersey helps our 5000 bikes campaign so I will work for it each stage.”
Luca Paolini Out For Cocaine Positive
The race was hit by its first doping case as Italian rider Luca Paolini was thrown out of the race on Friday after testing positive for cocaine . during cycling’s biggest event.
Cycling’s governing body, the UCI, said in a statement that the 38-year-old Paolini, who rides for Russian team Katusha, was tested on July 7, the day of the fourth stage.
Paolini, who was a support rider for teammates Joaquim Rodriguez and Alexander Kristoff at the Tour, can request a ”B” sample to be tested after he was notified ”of an adverse analytical finding of cocaine,” the UCI said.
No Surgery for Tom Dumoulin
Tom Dumoulin crashed out of the race in the third stage following a huge crash in the bunch. Since then, various examinations, including an MRI scan, have been performed and indicate that surgery will not be necessary.
Team physician Anko Boelens (NED) explained: “Tom had a shoulder luxation. The luxation caused a substantial impression fracture of the humeral head (this is called a Hill-Sachs lesion). The lesion also involved the greater tubercle. An MRI showed no other intra-articular damage. Because of the involvement of the greater tubercle, recovery will take more time than with a regular shoulder luxation. We expect full recovery in six weeks.”
Saturday Last Chance for Sprinters
Saturday’s eighth stage stays in the Brittany region, a mostly flat 181.5-kilometer (112.5-mile) trek starting from Rennes and finishing with a short climb up Mur de Bretagne.
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