Stage 7

The road

At the start

As flat as the Vuelta gets

Philippe Gilbert has held red for four days, ten seconds up on Antón and Rodríguez, and sixth place in Murcia has given him the points jersey too. Today's 189 kilometres around Orihuela are about as flat as this race gets, and a virus working through Team Sky all week has already left them riding short. So: a sprint — and Alessandro Petacchi is here at thirty-six with the green jersey of July in his legs.

How it was won

1. 139 km to go

   Flecha is told to stop

   On the day's only climb Juan Antonio Flecha, who has been carrying the virus that has run through Team Sky all week, comes apart. The race doctor advises him to retire and he climbs off — the third Sky rider gone, in a week that also cost the team a soigneur.

2. 2At the line

   Petacchi's lesson

   HTC-Columbia line the bunch out too hard and too soon and burn themselves before the last kilometre. Lampre take over, Petacchi jumps early, and then moves right across the road to shut Cavendish in behind him. Thirty-six years old, and still the cleverest sprinter in the race.

The result