Stage 7 of the 2012 Tour de France belonged to the Sky Procylcing team, as Chris Froome pedaled hard through the steep climb to La Planche des Belles Filles and claimed the Stage 7 win while also pushing his team captain, Bradley Wiggins, into the yellow jersey.
Here is a vivid description of how the later stretch of the stage developed, courtesy of SB Nation's cycling blog, Podium Cafe:
Sky took over the front as the race approached the final climb, with Richie Porte and Michael Rogers unleashing a dog-choking motherload of hurt on the peloton before giving way to Froome, the pure climber, and Wiggins, the overall leader. Overall favorites began dropping quickly, first Robert Gesink of Rabobank, then Levi Leipheimer of Omega Pharma Quick Step, and so on until an elite octet entered the final kilometer. Denis Menchov was the last of the favorites to drop, shattering massively in the final stretch to lose 50 seconds. Nibali held his ground, grimly, while Taaramae let go with the line in sight.
Here are the top 10 finishers for Stage 7:
1. Chris Froome, 4:58:35
2. Cadel Evans, +0:02
3. Bradley Wiggins, s.t.
4. Vincenzo Nibali, +0:07
5. Rein Taaramae, +0:19
6. Haimar Zubeldia, +0:44
7. Pierre Rolland, +0:46
8. Janez Brajkovic, s.t.
9. Denis Menchov, +0:50
10. Maxime Monfort, +0:56
For additional details on the stage including maps and route information, visit the Tour de France website.
Stay up to date with all the latest Tour de France news by staying tuned to this StoryStreamor by visiting SB Nation's Podium Cafe.
