Britain’s Bradley Wiggins takes yellow jersey in Tour de France

Stage 7: The Tour’s first day in the mountains took riders 123 miles across the Vosges range to the first of three summit finishes, at La Planche des Belles Filles, a 1,035-meter high ski station.

Winner: Chris Froome of Britain’s Sky team won the stage by pulling ahead of teammate Bradley Wiggins and defending champion Cadel Evans in the final meters of a punishingly steep category-1 climb that ended with a stretch of road hitting a 14% gradient.

Yellow jersey: Wiggins captured the race leader’s jersey from Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara, who had worn the yellow jersey since Stage 1. Wiggins became the first Briton in 12 years to take the Tour lead and he maintained his gap over Australia’s Evans, who is 10 seconds back. Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali is third, 16 seconds back.

Stat of the day: 12. The number of years since the last Briton wore the Tour de France race leader’s yellow jersey. Scotland’s David Millar, now racing on the Tour for U.S. team Garmin-Sharp, wore the jersey in 2000 for three stages.

Quote of the day: “You can’t get too cocky in this race and choose when you take the yellow jersey. I’d much rather be in yellow than in hospital, like half the peloton.” Wiggins, referring to crashes Friday that forced at least 12 riders to quit the race.

Sunday’s eighth stage: A 98-mile hilly ride from Belfort to Porrentruy, Switzerland. The riders face seven categorized climbs during the relatively short stage, including the final Col de la Croix, a 2.3-mile climb with gradients as steep as 17% 10 miles before the finish.

Stage 7 results

1. Chris Froome, Britain, Sky Procycling, 4 hours, 58 minutes, 35 seconds.

2. Cadel Evans, Australia, BMC Racing, 2 seconds behind.

3. Bradley Wiggins, Britain, Sky Procycling, same time.

4. Vincenzo Nibali, Italy, Liquigas-Cannondale, :07.

5. Rein Taaramae, Estonia, Cofidis, :19.

Overall standings

(After seven stages)

1. Bradley Wiggins, Britain, Sky Procycling, 34 hours, 21 minutes, 20 seconds.

2. Cadel Evans, Australia, BMC Racing, 10 seconds behind.

3. Vincenzo Nibali, Italy, Liquigas-Cannondale, :16.

4. Rein Taaramae, Estonia, Cofidis, :32.

5. Denis Menchov, Russia, Katusha, :54.