With several mountain stages coming up, Fabian Cancellara was determined to go for glory in today's stage 7 of the Tour de France. However, the Swiss suffered a puncture in the finale and had his greatest disappointment of the race so far.

It was another tough day at the office for Trek Factory Racing in the Tour de France, where there are no typical days, and anything can - and usually does - happen.

The stage began well for the team as Matthew Busche slipped into the day’s breakaway with five others eight kilometers into the race - an impressive feat considering he found himself on the ground five times in the past two days. But this is the Tour de France and bumps, bruises and scrapes will not keep a rider like Busche down.

It was a plucky effort from the American, but with hungry teams chasing a stage win, the breakaway was never granted a big lead. With 40 kilometers remaining four of the six were absorbed, and the final two rider's valiant, but ultimately fated attack, also terminated in the closing kilometers.

It was a hilly ending to the 234.5-kilometer stage from Épernay to Nancy, enough to shed the pure sprinters and open the door for a late opportunistic attack. This was on the mind of Fabian Cancellara as he cunningly moved into the top five positions over the penultimate climb, whille riders popped out the back under the fierce pace.

Nearing the top of the climb a crash in the front positions stopped Haimar Zubeldia, but with faithful sidekick Markel Irizar to help chase, he was able to rejoin the peloton and finish in the front group.

The final climb topped out 5.5 kilometers from the finish. It was a perfect launch pad for a late move, but mysteriously Cancellara was missing. In another stroke of bad luck Cancellara had sustained a late puncture - and a huge opportunity missed.

“This was the biggest disappointment so far in the Tour," he said. "I was ready to get a win; to go for it today. I was ready in the head, I felt good, but then I had a mechanical with a flat tire - it’s a big disappointment.

"I remember this stage from many years ago when I was with Fassa Bortolo when [Lorenzo] Bernucci won, I was there. I was yelling at him that he had to go because he had a gap.

"There were many options for me today. I felt good – I had a good feeling – and losing a good feeling like today, which are not there often…. now it’s just climbing. There are no more big opportunities. C’est la vie.”

At the line a photo finish determined Matteo Trentin (OPQS) edged Peter Sagan (Cannondale) for the win. The team's GC riders, Fränk Schleck and Haimar Zubeldia, finished safely in the front group, and their overall classification remained unchanged.

Earlier in the race Trek Factory Racing lost young sprinter Danny van Poppel. He stepped off his bike and into the team car around mid-way point of the stage, a result of tendonitis. The 20-year-old tried hard to continue and make it to stage end, but the knee pain he battled since stage five was too much.

“I was in a lot of pain from the start of the stage, I have been battling tendonitis in my knee for three days, since the cobblestone stage," he said. "It is not related to my crash that day.  After about 100 kilometers I knew it would not get better. I tried to finish the stage. But a knee hardly ever gets better, especially in a Grand Tour.

"The pain was terrible!  I am not someone to abandon a race, ever, but it was just too much pain… I am super disappointed, really, really sad. I really wanted to make it to Paris, my shape is good - this is hard for me to swallow.”