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Epernay, France • Matteo Trentin of Italy won Friday's seventh stage of the Tour de France in a photo finish, after two top American hopefuls went down in the latest spills of a crash-marred edition this year.

Fellow Italian Vincenzo Nibali retained the overall leader's yellow jersey. U.S. rider Tejay van Garderen, who crashed within the last 17 kilometers, was the big loser on the day — with his fall costing him more than a minute in the title chase.

The sun finally broke through clouds that had dumped rain over riders in recent days for the 146-mile ride from Epernay, the capital of Champagne country, to the eastern city of Nancy. It was the second-longest stage of the three-week race this year.

Trentin, a cheery 24-year-old who won a stage in the Tour of Switzerland earlier this year, beat Slovakia's Peter Sagan by what looked like no more than a centimeter or two on the finish-line photo of the final sprint. The finish was so close that the Tour's Web site initially declared Sagan the winner.

BMC leader van Garderen was not the only American to have a bad day. Andrew Talansky fell in the final sprint, rolling over and scuffing up his left arm and ripping his jersey on his shoulder after getting bumped by Australia's Simon Gerrans.

But under course rules, Talansky, the Garmin-Sharp team leader, didn't lose time in the title chase because his crash happened within the last three kilometers. He yelled in frustration after crossing the line.

"He's OK. ... It's not something that's going to affect him much," Garmin-Sharp team Jonathan Vaughters said of Talansky on French TV. "I don't know if it was Gerrans' fault, but he's angry. That's 100 percent sure."

With about 16 kilometers left, a Movistar team rider bumped the back wheel of van Garderen as he moved to the right in the pack. They tumbled to the asphalt. Van Garderen got rolled over by another rider's bike.

The BMC leader got up and back to the race, but lost time to Nibali, even after several of his teammates pedaled furiously in front of him to keep him out of the wind, trying to help him catch up.

He shrugged off the damage, putting it into the long-term perspective of a three-week race that ends in Paris on July 27. —

Stage 8

O Saturday, 6 a.m., Ch. 5

About the stage • 100 miles from Tomblaine to Gerardmer La Mauselaine, featuring three climbs in the final 30 kilometers.

Overall standings

1. Vincenzo Nibali, Italy • 29 hours, 57 minutes

2. Jakob Fuglsang, Denmark • 2 seconds behind.

3. Peter Sagan, Slovakia • 44 seconds behind

Also

7. Andrew Talansky, U.S. • 2:05.

18. Tejay van Garderen, U.S. • 3:14.