Linus Gerdemann, riding in his first Tour de France, won the 7th stage today, giving him the overall lead. The 24 year old, a member of Germany's T-Mobile team, holds a 1 minute 24 second lead over second place heading into tomorrow's stage 8, a grueling trek through the Alps.
Gerdemann won the day with a dual-attack strategy, spending much of the race in a pack of 15 and then, at two separate, ultra-steep climbs, kicking into overdrive and riding away from his opponents. It's a big moment for German cycling, which has been hit hard with serial doping controversies in the past year. (More Tour de France stories.)