1. Fabio Baldato (Ita, MG) 4.08.54 (41.245 km/h) 2. Giovanni Lombardi (Ita, POLTI) 3. Max Sciandri (Gbr, MOTOROLA) 4. Laurent Jalabert (Fra, ONCE) 5. Massmimo Apollonio (Ita, SCRIGNO) 6. Dimitri Konyshev (Rus, AKI) 7. Stefano Faustini (Ita, AKI) 8. Andrea Vatteroni (Ita, SCRIGNO) 9. Roberto Pistore (Ita) 10. Pascal Chanteur (Fra) 11. Angel Luis Casero (Spa) 12. Angel Edo (Spa) 13. Bo Hamburger (Den) 14. Mauro Gianetti (Swi) 15. Francesco Casagrande (Ita) 16. Gianluca Gorini (Ita) 17. Jurgen Werner (Ger) 18. Valerio Tebaldi (Ita) 19. Davide Rebellin (Ita) 20. Paolo Valoti (Ita) .. 22. Melchior Mauri (Spa) .. 30. Bobby Julich (USA) .. 37. Laurent Dufaux (Swi) 38. Kevin Livingston (USA) .. 48. Miguel Indurain (Spa) .. 51. Tony Rominger (Swi) 52. Peter Meinert (Den) 53. Alex Zulle (Swi) .. 55. Neil Stephens (Aus) .. 74. Stphen Hodge (Aus) .. 87. Claus Moller (Den) all s.t. .. 97. Michael Andersson (Swe) 0.28 .. 126. Michel Lafis (Swe) 15.41 .. 135. William Chann McRae (USA) .. 160. Lars Johnsen (Nor) all s.t.
1. Fabio Baldato (Ita, MG) 30.33.02 2. Laurent Jalabert (Fra, ONCE) + 0.22 3. Giovanni Lombardi (Ita, POLTI) + 0.26 4. Juergen Werner (Ger, TELEKOM) + 0.44 5. Luca Pavanello (Ita, AKI) + 0.50 6. Stefano Faustini (Ita, AKI) + 0.51 7. Roberto Pistore (Ita, MG) + 0.51 8. Alex Zuelle (Sui, ONCE) + 0.54 9. Melchior Mauri (Esp, ONCE) + 0.57 10. Massmimo Apollonio (Ita, SCRIGNO) s.t. 11. Valerio Tebaldi (Ita) 0.57 12. Gianluca Gorini (Ita) 1:08 13. Laurent Dufaux (Swi) 1:18 14. Bobby Julich (USA) 1:21 15. Juan Arenas (Spa) 1:21 16. Inaki Alaiarzaguena (Spa) 1:24 17. Alvaro Gonzalez de Galdeano (Spa) 1:27 18. Herminio Diaz Zabala (Spa) 1:27 19. Daniel Clavero (Spa) 1:27 20. Inigo Gonzalez (Spa) 1:27 .. 22. Miguel Indurain (Spa) 1:33 23. Bo Hamburger (Den) 1:34 .. 27. Neil Stephens (Aus) .. 29. Kevin Livingston (USA) all s.t. .. 45. Maximilian Sciandri (Gbr) 3:10 .. 66. Stephen Hodge (Aus) 8:57 .. 68. Peter Meinert ((Den) 69. Tony Rominger (Swi) all s.t. .. 92. Michael Andersson (Swe) 12:10 .. 111. Claus Moller (Den) 20:27 .. 121. Michel Lafis (Swe) 24:32 .. 163. Lars Johnsen (Nor) 44:20
It was the seventh time in as many days that the honours had hung in the balance right until the finish line.
Bonus time picked up in the sprints has lifted Baldato to a provisional 22-second lead over Frenchman Laurent Jalabert, with another Italian, Giovanni Lombardi lying third.
Baldato's MG team was on its guard all day as ONCE's Jalabert, who took back a second in one of the special stage sprints, made signs of attacking the leader for the yellow jersey he lost to Baldato in Thursday's stage.
But with the attention focussed on Jalabert, it was another ONCE rider, Alex Zulle, who led the first of many unsuccessful breakaways.
For a time Biagio Conte looked to be in with a chance of recapturing the yellow jersey won in the first stage, but he and AKI rider Denis Zanette were hauled in 20 kms from the end of the 150-km route through the Costa del Sol resort.
But once again the shallow climbs of Spain's Mediterranean coast proved insufficent to kill off the hopes of the speed men, and Saturday's eighth stage -- the second longest of the tour -- promises to end the same way after the 220 kms between Marbella and Jerez.
Baldato just headed fellow Italian Giovanni Lombardi with Britain's Olympic bronze medallist Maximilian Sciandri in third.
The Italian sprint star increased his lead to 22 seconds over France's Laurent Jalabert in this 171km stretch from Malaga to Marbella -- the first day with real climbs. Jalabert finished fourth in the day's sprint.
Despite the mountainous section around Marbella, the pack finished more-or-less together allowing Baldato, again well-supported by his MG teammates, to cross the line first.
Early on in the stage, Switzerland's Alex Zulle, a teammate of Jalabert, was prominent among four riders who broke away, but it only lasted about 30km.
Then a little later, Italian's first stage winner Biagio Conte and compatriot Denis Zanette attacked for the longest breakaway of the day -- they were caught just 20km from the line.
Baldato, who won the final stage of the Tour de France, retold the final moments of the race.
"At the end of the stage, Casagrande attacked but I was able to respond quickly despite being tired. At 200m from the line, Sciandri made his move and I really thought he was going to win, but I could see he was very tired and that's why I made such an effort to win," he said.
Saturday's eighth stage is one of the longest in the race at 220km between Marbella and Jerez de la Frontera. It has two third-category climbs -- at Alto de Palmones and Alto de Medina-Sidonia.