Madrid, Aug 31 (IANS): There was a surprise in stage 7 of the Vuelta de Espana (Tour of Spain) cycle race as Zdenek Stybar beat World Champion Phillipe Gilbert by millimeters at the finish line of 206 kilometre stage that ended in Mairena del Aljar.

The duo were able to open a gap of 20 seconds in the closing stages, but a lack of coordination in the main peloton allowed them just enough time to reach the finish as the main group closed quickly on them Friday, reports Xinhua.

The stage had looked tailor made for the third sprint of the race, even more so given that Saturday sees a return to a mountaintop finish.

One of the reasons for this is that Garmin Sharp's sprinter, Tyler Farrar suffered a flat tyre that took him out of contention, while his team-mates had to aid team leader Dan Martin, who suffered a heavy fall after 194 kms. The Orica Green Edge team also lost key lead-out men in the winding streets of Seville before the finish.

With teams such as Movistar more interested in the general classification, there was a delay which meant Stybar and Gilbert were able to contest their own personal sprint and Stybar, who had conserved more strength in their break, was just strong enough to reach the line.

Saturday's eighth stage finishes with a steep climb to Estepona and could see changes in the overall leadership, which has remained unchanged over the last three days with Vicenzo Nibali still in the lead off the three week race.