Stage 7

The road

At the start

Six climbs in the Jura

Cancellara has led for four days and holds twenty seconds on Geraint Thomas, thirty-nine on Cadel Evans and 1:09 on Andy Schleck. Today the road finally goes up: six climbs through the Jura forests, each harder than the last, to a finish at Station des Rousses. Nobody here has climbed properly in a fortnight. It is not a mountain stage, but it is perfect ambush country, and the man in yellow knows it.

How it was won

1. 123 km to go

   Pineau and Hondo over the Croix de la Serra

   The first mountains of this Tour, and the break is coming apart on them. Pineau and Hondo top the climb together with Knees, Voeckler, Gautier, Cunego and Lloyd strung out behind and the peloton just over a minute back.

2. 215 km to go

   Chavanel goes again

   Approaching the final climb Chavanel decides Cunego's group is not going fast enough and launches himself at the road. At the same instant Pineau does the same, dropping Hondo, and Quick Step turn the stage into their own private pursuit match.

3. 310 km to go

   Cancellara loses the jersey

   Nobody has climbed for a fortnight and it shows. On the drag to Station des Rousses the yellow jersey slips off the back of a peloton that has stopped waiting for him, and Saxo Bank do not chase.

4. 45 km to go

   Valls chases alone

   Rafael Valls of Footon-Servetto sets off after Chavanel and pursues him the whole way up. He will finish 57 seconds down, the only man who got anywhere near.

5. 5At the line

   Chavanel doubles up

   A second stage and a second maillot jaune for Chavanel, exactly as in Spa. Valls is 57 seconds back, Juan Manuel Garate third at 1:27, and the main group of thirty-five comes in at 1:47.

The result