Sylvain Chavanel recaptured the Tour de France's lead Saturday by winning the hot and humid 7th stage as the main title contenders focused on upcoming Alpine climbs. The Quick Step rider, who also won the second stage, raised a fist in joy as he completed the 165.5km trek from Tournus to Station des Rousses ski station, featuring six low- to mid-grade climbs. The Frenchman crossed the line alone in 4 hours, 22 minutes, 52 seconds. Rafael Valls Ferri of Spain was second, 57 seconds behind, and his countryman Juan Manuel Garate was third, 1:27 back. Fabian Cancellara struggled in the final climb and was a staggering 14 minutes, 12 seconds back. The Swiss lost the yellow jersey to Chavanel who began the stage fifth, 1:01 behind Cancellara. Several pre-race favorites, including seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong, said the stage's climbs were deceptively tough and that the heat added to the agony within the peloton. “Suffered, I think everybody did. It was just so incredibly hot and humid,” the 38-year-old Texan said. The standings among the top race contenders didn't change. Cancellara, primarily a time-trial specialist, and Chavanel, who is more of a breakaway rider than a climber, are not expected to excel in the crucial mountain legs - notably over four Pyrenees stages in the third week. They are the only two riders to have worn yellow this Tour: Cancellara won the prologue, Chavanel took the coveted shirt with a breakaway win on Monday and then the Swiss rider retook it a day later when Chavanel ran into a mechanical problem on a cobblestone stretch - and lost time. “I had legs of fire today ... these are the types of climb that suit me,” Chavanel said. “I'm going to savor it.” The main race contenders finished 1:47 back, including 2009 winner Alberto Contador of Spain, who was 13th, and Armstrong in 16th. Overall, Chavanel leads two-time Tour runner-up and world champion Cadel Evans of Australia by 1:25. Canada's Ryder Hesjedal is third, 1:32 back. Last year's runner-up Andy Schleck of Luxembourg is fourth, 1:55 behind, while Contador is sixth: 2:26 back. Armstrong is 14th, 3:16 behind Chavanel. A staffer from Chavanel's Quick Step team squirted him with water to cool him down in the searing heat as he scaled solo the mid-grade Lamoura pass into Les Rousses, the last climb, baring his teeth as he pedaled. “It's the type of climb that I like, a 3- to 4-percent gradient,” said Chavanel, after collecting his third career Tour stage victory. “You have to upshift into high gear.” For Armstrong, it was a “tough day ... A climb like this, which is 3-5 percent, is always hard. It's high speed and it's hard to go (pull) away, and it's hard to sit on the wheel. Not my favorite.” “I tried to stay up near the front (of the pack), to be honest,” he said. On the final climb, Armstrong kept toward the front of the main group of contenders, with Contador shadowing him. None of the main contenders - including Evans or Bradley Wiggins of Britain - attempted to attack. After the stage, a downpour sent rain and marble-sized hail onto thousands of fans who lined the route to the Lamoura. Civil security teams escorted dozens of fans to shelter after their shuttle bus couldn't get through in a post-race traffic jam, Jura regional civil protection director Jerome Petit said. Some fans said they had been bruised by the hail. No one was seriously injured, Petit said. Chavanel said he got his “revenge” after losing the yellow jersey on the cobblestones Tuesday - when Armstrong also lost crucial seconds in the title chase because he had to change a flat tire. But the Frenchman said the next stage could threaten his hold on the jersey. “The big names - Contador, Schleck, Evans - they're going to express themselves tomorrow,” Chavanel said. “I'm going to work to limit the damage. I'm going to give it all I have.”
