In a daring descent, Sánchez wins a stage

That is just what Luis León Sánchez, a 24-year-old Spaniard riding for the Caisse D'Épargne team, did, as he rode away from the group roughly 5 kilometers, or 3 miles, from the finish to win the seventh stage of the 95th Tour and notch his team's second victory in the first week of the race.

Sánchez took advantage of a short, steep climb that peaked just 9 kilometers from the finish. As many of the sprinters struggled to get over the hill, a Category 3 climb that measured only 1.7 kilometers in length but had a 9.9 percent average grade, Sánchez set out on the attack on the backside and finished six seconds ahead of a group of 23 riders, including most of the race favorites.

Kim Kirchen of Team Columbia remained in the race lead by 6 seconds over Cadel Evans of Silence-Lotto, with Stefan Schumacher, who tried but failed to escape on the same descent as Sánchez on Friday, in third place, 16 seconds back.