Team Sky's Chris Froome won the seventh stage of the Tour De France this afternoon and Bradley Wiggins moved into the leaders yellow jersey..
Yesterday's big crash involving much of the peloton proved to be a painful one and Amets Txurruka (EUS), Ryder Hesjedal (GRS), Robert Hunter (GRS), Hubert Dupont (ALM), Oscar Freire (KAT), Maarten Wynants (RAB), Imanol Erviti (MOV) and Jose Ivan Gutierrez (MOV), did not start this 199km stage which left Tomblaine heading to La Planche Des Belles Filles close to the German border.
Seven riders in Christophe Riblon, (AG2R La Mondiale), Chris Anker Sorensen (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank), Martin Velits (Omega Pharma-Quickstep), Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEdge), Cyril Gauter (Europcar), Dmitri Fofonov (Astana) and 2008 Olympic Champion Luis Leon Sanchez (Rabobank) got clear early on.
In temperatures of 21oc, they were 4.10 clear with 26kms gone. Anthony Delaplace then withdrew before lunch was taken at Laveline Devant Bruyeres.
The day's intermediate sprint came on the D486 at Gerardmer in the Vosages Department, which has a beautiful lake, with 95.5kms to go. Cyril Gautier just beat Fofonov to the twenty points. Some 4.30 later, Peter Sagan took eight points in the Green Jersey competition.
The next jersey competition on the race was the King Of The Mountains competition and the first climb of the day was a third category climb at Col de Grosse Pierre.
Chris Anker Sorensen took the two points with one for Sanchez before the race headed for the Haute Saone Department for the first time in its 99 editions.
The peloton were 4.42 back as BMC's Steve Cummings (pictured below) sat on the front.
The second climb was another category three and this was on the Cote du Mont de Fourche which had huge crowds on either side of the road.
Chris Anker Sorensen again took the two points with one this time for Sanchez, who took the Brandt Combativity Award, before the seven riders up front went onto the D6 with 45.5kms to go.
At Thibaut Pinot's home town of Melisey, with 26.5kms to go, the gap from the front seven to the peloton which had Garmin-Sharp's David Millar (pictured below) now on the front was 2.22.
Millar was working for Danny Martin who was amongst the favourities for the final climb of the day to the finish at La Planche Des Belles Filles.
It was a Category One climb of 5.6km at 8.5% and when it started, the seven out front were only nine seconds ahead of a front group which was now led by Team Sky with Michael Rogers.
Sorensen was the only left and he was caught with five to go. Riders were all over the road but AG2R's Nicholas Roche had moved into the lead group which was being spear headed by Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome, knowing that this was Wiggins' chance to snatch the yellow jersey as Fabian Cancellera was 42 seconds further down the road.
Froome (pictured above) was setting the pace and was still in front as himself, Wiggins, Evans and NIbali went under the flam rouge.
Cadel Evans went but back came Chris Froome who won in a time in of 4.58.35 ahead of Evans, Wiggins and Nibali.
Froome who took the King Of The Mountains Jersey by getting the twenty points, said to Ned Boutling of ITV4: "Not complaining this was fantastic. Guys did a fantastic job keeping us at the front. They left me to do the job with 2ks to go. I knew what the finish was like I knew I had the legs and when Cadel did not get my wheel I knew it would come off.
Picture copyright of ASO
"Bradley's in the yellow jersey and I'm speechless and I'm chuffed to bits."
Wiggins, by staying with Evans now leads the Australian by ten seconds. Nicholas Roche is eighth with Chris Froome ninth.
Wiggins said to Ned Boulting: "I have dreamed about this since I was a child. I was sat in Kilburn watching Miquel Indurain do it and now I have. "It has not really sunk in. Froomey has taken the King Of The Mountains, it has been a wonderful day."
Stage eight is from Belfort to Porrentury and is 157.5km long.
Pictures copyright of Covsupport News Service. Credit CNS/KM