Sagan clinches seventh stage
Slovakian rider Peter Sagan won the hilly seventh stage of the Tour de France in a sprint finish on Friday, and Daryl Impey kept the overall race lead.
Sagan held off a challenge from John Degenkolb of Germany to clinch his first stage victory in this year’s Tour and extend his lead in the contest for the sprinters’ green jersey. Italian sprinter Daniele Bennati was third.
“I have to say my team did all the work today, they did an incredible job,” the 23-year-old Sagan said through a translator. “They showed that they are perfectly capable of doing their job and they did a remarkable job. I’d like to thank them.”
Impey began the day as the first South African rider to wear the yellow jersey, but he will likely relinquish it after Saturday’s first of two difficult days of climbing in the high mountains of the Pyrenees.
“Very hot, hard day,” Impey said. “The whole country really knows about me now, so a lot has changed.”
Impey leads Norwegian sprinter Edvald Boasson Hagen by three seconds overall and his Orica Greenedge teammate Simon Gerrans by five seconds.
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