Ryder Hesjedal and Johann Tschopp have established a tentative escape after a rapid first hour's racing...
Alessandro De Marchi is chasing at 30-seconds with another seven riders...
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He might look like a hitch-hiker, but in fact Chris Froome has crashed..!
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Froome is riding again but battered and bruised, nothing more than what he's used to...
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Team Sky paces Froome back, with Phillip Deignan setting a mighty pace...
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Movistar are riding a tempo that is neither an attack against Froome, nor a surrender to the developing escape...
A more definitive escape has been established by Tschopp, Dupont, Hesjedal and De Marchi...
Alejandro Valverde descends at speed - there is chaos amongst the chasers with the escape in front and Froome still behind...
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Fabian Cancellara is chasing from a long way back, not knowing if his Trek team will have any influence over today's racing...
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Chris-Anker Sorensen bears the sole responibility of delivering some much-need bottles to his teamates on such a tough stage..!
Ivan Santaromita is one of many to crash on a downhill corner - he's out of the race with a broken finger..!
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Tom Boonen is clearly loving the drama as he chases back on another slippery descent...
Cadel Evans is enjoying the crazy racing too, despite collecting water and ice for his teamates...
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Hesjedal senses the chance to win a stage and re-gain some lost time - he's the most ambitious of the escapers...
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Julien Arredondo chases for Trek, with a gap of seven minutes to be dissolved...
Dupont leads the quartet towards the finish, one of them is almost certain to win today...
Adam Yates finds himself in the bush after a spectacular wipe-out on a corner..!
Yates is totally unhurt and re-gains the road with his bike still with him...
Two Guardia Civil motorcyclists have managed to crash to heighten the sense of drama today..!
Hesjedal attacks with 20-kilometres to go, he looks to have a great chance of winning...
Hesjedal has crashed, leaving De Marchi to attack Tschopp and go for the stage-win himself..!
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Hesjedal is chasing hard ahead of Dupont, but De Marchi is too far ahead to be caught...
Alessandro De Marchi wins stage seven and dedicates his win to the late-Alfredo Martini...
Ryder Hesjedal finishes a few minutes back, his injuries appear worse than they looked at first...