Stage seven of the Tour de France was 213 kilometres long, but in the end the winner clinched victory by just six milimetres.
ADVERTISEMENTStage seven of the Tour de France was 213 kilometres long, but in the end the winner clinched victory by just six milimetres.
German sprinter Marcel Kittel gained his second consecutive stage win, beating Edvald Boasson Hagen in a race to the line and a photo finish.
Australian Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb) was a distant third as Team Sky’s Chris Froome retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey.
Kittel now has three stage victories in the bag and he’s also taken the green jersey from French national champion Arnaud Demare who was ill the night before.
Kittel has 197 points to Demare’s 182.
Until the final straight, the day had gone without any drama – the usual scenario for long, flat stages – apart from an errant parasol.
Watch: Riders manage to avoid large parasol blown into Tour de France peloton (video) | https://t.co/pQp94tNg8k#TdFpic.twitter.com/SiKHcVkK9e
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Four riders broke away from the peloton, but their advantage was controlled by the sprinters and they were caught with the line in sight.
Overall, Froome still leads team mate Geraint Thomas by 12 seconds and Italian Fabio Aru (Astana) by 14.
Kittel is equal with fellow German Erik Zabel’s 12 tour stage win record and he’ll be eager for another victory but the next two stage are in the mountains.
Saturday’s eighth stage will be one for the breakaway riders as it takes the peloton over 187.5km from Dole to the Station des Rousses over mountainous terrain.