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Alcaudete, Spain • Alessandro de Marchi of Italy pulled away from a small breakaway group to win an accident-filled seventh stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Friday, while Alejandro Valverde maintained the overall lead.
Former Tour de France champion Chris Froome fell early in the stage and cut his right hip, but he managed to get back on his bike and finished strong, shaving a few seconds off Valverde's lead.
De Marchi, riding for Cannondale, shed the other three escapees and rode alone for the last 13 kilometers (8 miles) to complete the hilly 169-kilometer (105-mile) ride through rolling olive groves in just over four hours.
Saturday's stage is a 207-kilometer (128-mile) ride from Baeza to Albacete.
The 21-stage race ends in Santiago de Compostela on Sept. 14.