Consistent Sagan still searching for maiden stage win

Andrew Talansky of the U.S. crashes as the pack with stage winner Italy's Matteo Trentin, foreground left, sprints towards the finish line during the seventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 234.5 kilometers (145.7 miles) with start in Epernay and finish in Nancy, France. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

The 234.5-kilometres route from Epernay was the second longest stage of this year’s race and lit up when the riders reached the day’s second and final categorised climb.

The summit of the Cote de Boufflers came with 5.5km to go, with Sagan (Cannondale) prominent over the top, but the leaders regrouped in the finale and Italian Trentin pipped Sagan by the narrowest of margins to claim Omega Pharma-QuickStep’s first win of the 101st Tour.

The Belgian squad had to regroup following leader Mark Cavendish’s exit on day one and Italian Trentin’s second Tour stage win will come as a welcome success. Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Belisol) was third as Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) retained the yellow jersey for another day by finishing 16th.

Saturday’s lumpy, 161km eighth stage from Tomblaine to Gerardmer La Mauselaine provides a further test for the peloton, with the possibility a breakaway will prosper.

A six-man breakaway formed after 9km, comprising Martin Elmiger (IAM Cycling), Alexandre Pichot (Europcar), Anthony Delaplace (Bretagne-Seche Environnement), Matthew Busche (Trek Factory Racing), Nicolas Edet (Cofidis) and Bartosz Huzarski (NetApp-Endura). Sagan’s Cannondale squad led the peloton, keeping the escapees on a tight leash.

FDJ, Movistar and Nibali’s Astana team shared responsibility as another rider abandoned, with Belkin’s Stef Clement crashing out after around 40km.

Danny van Poppel (Trek Factory Racing) then quit with a knee problem, with Orica-GreenEdge’s Simon Yates, the 21-year-old from Bury, becoming the youngest rider in the peloton.

The breakaway split with 40km remaining and Elmiger and Huzarski pressed on alone as the four others were caught.

Their lead was less than 30 seconds with 25km to go as Team Sky led the peloton on the undulating terrain.

Huzarski and Elmiger were caught on the slopes of the Cote de Maron, the day’s first of two classified climbs in the final 20km. A crash in the bunch brought down Tejay van Garderen (BMC), the American finishing more than a minute down.

Richie Porte (Team Sky) led a group of around 40 through the flamme rouge at 1km to go, sweeping up Sagan and Van Avermaet, with a crash splitting the leading group, though the main protagonists – Nibali, Contador and Porte among them – were safe.

Garmin-Sharp’s Andrew Talansky tumbled in the closing 100m during the sprint, which Trentin won as Sagan missed out narrowly once more.