Nicolas Roche remains in contention for the Tour of Britain title which is poised for a thrilling finale on the streets of London on Sunday after the penultimate stage shook up the general classification standings once more.

Omega Pharma-Quick Step's Julien Vermote won stage seven in Brighton from the breakaway, but the main action was behind as the peloton split in two and race leader Alex Dowsett – the Movistar rider who took the yellow jersey with a brilliant performance on Friday – was left behind.

Vermote's team-mate Michal Kwiatkowski led a pack of leading contenders, including Team Sky's Bradley Wiggins, over the line one minute 20 seconds behind the stage winner, and it took another 63 seconds for Dowsett to make it home.

That put Garmin-Sharp’s Dylan van Baarle – another rider from the breakaway – into yellow, 19 seconds ahead of Kwiatkowski and 25 clear of Bardiana’s Edoardo Zardini.

Irishman Roche is fourth, 35 seconds down, while Wiggins is seventh, 47 seconds down and both are still very much in contention ahead of the split final day which includes a time trial and a circuit race in central London.

Van Baarle got himself in a five-man breakaway who went early and built a huge lead which topped nine minutes during the 226.5km run from Camberley.

The gap began to tumble and with 15km to go Vermote decided to go it alone at the front.

Soon after, the peloton began to split behind with Kwiatkowski, Wiggins and Roche helping establish a 15-man breakaway which soon left Dowsett and Movistar behind.

Vermote took the stage 23 seconds ahead of Van Baarle and Ignatas Konovalovas from the break, but the key gap was the one back to Wiggins and company, and it leaves all to play for on the final day.