Le Tour – Stage 7

Tomblaine to La Planche des Belles Filles

Distance: 199 kilometers.

This is the first mountain stage and it features an intermediate sprint followed by two Category 3 climbs [Col de Grosse Pierre, Col du Mont de Fourche], and finishing with the Category 1, La Planche des Belles Filles. The difference is obvious from the wardrobe changes that you will see below, and the much larger deficits between riders.

Another change is the loss of 9 more riders, 8 of whom did not show up for the start, including the lead rider on the Garmin-Sharp team, Canadian Ryder Hesjedal.

Sky Procycling, OTOH, had a great day with Bradley Wiggins putting on Yellow and Christopher Froome winning the stage and the Polka Dots, while retaining the yellow numbers and helmets of the lead team.

Bradley Wiggins ( GB – SKY – 101 ) [Yellow]
Peter Sagan (Svk-LIQ-057) [Green] 217 points
Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 105 ) [Polka Dot] 20 points
Rein Taaramae ( Est – COF – 081 ) 4 [White]

Team: Sky Procycling ( 101-109 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 105 )
Combative: Luis-Leon Sanchez ( Esp – RAB – 155 ) [Red numbers]

Top Ten:

1 Bradley Wiggins ( G B – SKY – 101 )
2 Cadel Evans ( Aus – BMC – 001 ) + 00′ 10”
3 Vincenzo Nibali ( Ita – LIQ – 051 ) + 00′ 16”
4 Rein Taaramae ( Est – COF – 081 ) + 00′ 32”
5 Denis Menchov ( Rus – KAT – 131 ) + 00′ 54”
6 Haimar Zubeldia ( Esp – RNT – 019 ) + 00′ 59”
7 Maxime Monfort ( Bel – RNT – 016 ) + 01′ 09”
8 Nicolas Roche ( Irl – ALM – 079 ) + 01′ 22”
9 Christopher Froome ( G B – SKY – 105 ) + 01′ 32”
10 Michael Rogers ( Aus – SKY – 108 ) + 01′ 40”

The Rest of the Top 50:

11 Fabian Cancellara ( Sui – RNT – 012 ) + 01′ 43”
12 Samuel Sanchez ( Esp – EUS – 031 ) + 02′ 02”
13 Jurgen Van Den Broeck ( Bel – LTB – 111 ) + 02′ 11”
14 Sylvain Chavanel ( Fra – OPQ – 192 ) + 02′ 22”
15 Rui Alberto Costa ( Por – MOV – 163 ) + 02′ 25”
16 Andréas Klöden ( Ger – RNT – 015 ) + 02′ 29”
17 Janez Brajkovic ( Slo – AST – 181 ) + 03′ 04”
18 Tejay Van Garderen ( USA – BMC – 009 ) + 03′ 09”
19 Tony Gallopin ( Fra – RNT – 013 ) + 03′ 13”
20 Ivan Basso ( Ita – LIQ – 052 ) + 03′ 13”
21 Eduard Vorganov ( Rus – KAT – 139 ) + 03′ 19”
22 Vladimir Gusev ( Rus – KAT – 134 ) + 03′ 26”
23 Pierre Rolland ( Fra – EUC – 029 ) + 03′ 27”
24 Christopher Horner ( USA – RNT – 014 ) + 03′ 39”
25 Jérôme Coppel ( Fra – SAU – 091 ) + 03′ 42”
26 Frank Schleck ( Lux – RNT – 011 ) + 03′ 43”
27 Levi Leipheimer ( USA – OPQ – 191 ) + 03′ 47”
28 Thibaut Pinot ( Fra – FDJ – 146 ) + 04′ 07”
29 Gorka Izaguirre Insausti ( Esp – EUS – 034 ) + 04′ 10”
30 Bauke Mollema ( Ned – RAB – 153 ) + 04′ 36”
31 Michele Scarponi ( Ita – LAM – 041 ) + 04′ 38”
32 Jelle Vanendert ( Bel – LTB – 119 ) + 04′ 48”
33 Marco Marcato ( Ita – VCD – 125 ) + 04′ 48”
34 Peter Velits ( Svk – OPQ – 199 ) + 04′ 50”
35 Alejandro Valverde ( Esp – MOV – 161 ) + 04′ 50”
36 Rafael Valls Ferri ( Esp – VCD – 128 ) + 05′ 16”
37 Egoi Martinez ( Esp – EUS – 035 ) + 05′ 33”
38 Jean-Christophe Peraud ( Fra – ALM – 071 ) + 06′ 26”
39 Robert Gesink ( Ned – RAB – 151 ) + 06′ 57”
40 Chris Anker Sorensen ( Den – STB – 178 ) + 08′ 45”
41 Steven Kruijswijk ( Ned – RAB – 152 ) + 08′ 51”
42 Davide Malacarne ( Ita – EUC – 028 ) + 08′ 52”
43 Christophe Riblon ( Fra – ALM – 078 ) + 09′ 02”
44 Rémy Di Gregorio ( Fra – COF – 082 ) + 09′ 12”
45 Edvald Boasson Hagen ( Nor – SKY – 102 ) + 09′ 40”
46 George Hincapie ( USA – BMC – 005 ) + 10′ 18”
47 Andrey Kashechkin ( Kaz – AST – 186 ) + 10′ 24”
48 Sylvester Szmyd ( Pol – LIQ – 058 ) + 10′ 39”
49 Sandy Casar ( Fra – FDJ – 141 ) + 11′ 28”
50 Michael Schär ( Sui – BMC – 008 ) + 11′ 41”

Out of the race:

Amets Txurruka ( Esp – EUS – 037 )
Ryder Hesjedal ( Can – GRS – 061 )
Robert Hunter ( RSA – GRS – 064 )
Hubert Dupont ( Fra – ALM – 074 )
Anthony Delaplace ( Fra – SAU – 092 )
Oscar Freire ( Esp – KAT – 133 )
Maarten Wynants ( Bel – RAB – 159 )
Imanol Erviti ( Esp – MOV – 164 )
José Ivan Gutierrez ( Esp – MOV – 165 )

Note: Wikipedia has a simple article on the Mountain classification used on the Tour. The basic fact is that climbs fall into five types, with the four numbered types decreasing in difficulty as the numbers get larger, and then there is the Hors Catégorie, literally “without category”, which generally makes you look for an elevator or Sherpas.

Go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Le Tour” for all of the posts related to the race on this site.