Trentin wins stage 7 as more riders crash out

EPERNAY — Italy’s Matteo Trentin won the seventh stage of the Tour de France, a 234.5-km ride from Epernay, after a group crash and hilly final section split the pack.

Trentin edged out Cannondale’s Slovakian Peter Sagan in a photo-finish, with Lotto-Belisol’s Frenchman Tony Gallopin third. There was no change in the general classification, with Astana’s Vincenzo Nibali remaining the overall leader.

The sun finally broke through clouds that had dumped rain over riders in recent days for the ride through Champagne country, to the eastern city of Nancy.

However, in a race which has been dogged by bad spills so far, there were several more crashes during stage seven: American TJ Van Garderen, who was 11th in the race at the start, fell with about 15 kilometres to go and lost a minute to the other favourites.

Also involved in the crash was Colombian BMC rider Darwin Atapuma, who later withdrew from the event. He wasn’t the only one to quit — Trek’s Danny van Poppel, and Belkin’s Stef Clement joined him after they both hit the tarmac as well.

In the final straight, Garmin-Sharp rider Andrew Talansky, ninth overall, fell before getting back on his bike. As the incident happened inside the final 3km, he was credited with the same time as the bunch.

Earlier, the sprinters had dropped out when the peloton reached Col de Maron, a short fourth-category climb 20km from the finish.

In the final kick, a 1.3-km climb at an average gradient of 7.9 per cent, Sagan and Greg Van Avermaet powered away from the pack before being caught. Sagan was then beaten by a tyre’s length by Trentin, who also won a Tour stage in Lyon last year.

Overall, Nibali has a two-second lead over Astana team-mate Jakob Fuglsang and is two minutes, 37 seconds clear of Alberto Contador, his main rival. AGENCIES

LEADING OVERALL STANDINGS AFTER STAGE SEVEN

1. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy / Astana) 29:57:04”

2. Jakob Fuglsang (Denmark / Astana) +2”

3. Peter Sagan (Slovakia / Cannondale) +44”

4. Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland / Omega Pharma - Quick-Step) +50”

5. Tony Gallopin (France / Lotto) +1:45”

6. Richie Porte (Australia / Team Sky) +1:54”

7. Andrew Talansky (U.S. / Garmin) +1:56”

8. Alejandro Valverde (Spain / Movistar) +2:11”