Ukraine’s Mark Padun won stage seven at La Plagne ©Getty Images

Ukraine’s Mark Padun won the queen stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné as Australia’s Richie Porte moved into the race lead with one stage remaining.

The seventh and penultimate stage of the race saw the riders face a mountainous 171 kilometre route from Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux to La Plagne, with changes expected in the general classification.

The final climb to La Plagne delivered the key move of the day, with Ineos Grenadiers’ Porte attacking with eight kilometres of racing remaining.

Padun joined the move with American rider Sepp Kuss and Spain’s Enric Mas, with the Ukrainian then accelerating clear.

The Bahrain Victorious rider opened a gap to eventually secure a maiden stage victory at International Cycling Union (UCI) WorldTour level.

Padun crossed the line in a winning time of 4 hours 35min 7sec, ending with a 34 second advantage over the runner-up Porte.

The result proved enough for Porte to assume the overall race lead, with the 36-year-old having begun the stage 15 seconds behind yellow jersey wearer Alexey Lutsenko of Ukraine.

Richie Porte moved into the race lead with one stage remaining ©Getty Images
Richie Porte moved into the race lead with one stage remaining ©Getty Images

Lutsenko finished 10th on the stage at one minute behind the winner.

The Astana-Premier Tech rider now lies second in the general classification, 17 seconds behind Porte.

Porte’s team mate Geraint Thomas completes the top three, with the British star 29 seconds off the race lead.

The race concludes tomorrow with a 147km mountain stage from La Léchère-les-Bains to Les Gets.

Porte could win the race for the first time after finishing as the runner-up in both 2013 and 2017.