Adam Yates has received an apology from Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme, following the former's bizarre accident on stage seven.

Orica-BikeExchange rider Yates looked to be finishing strongly on Friday, but was spectacularly halted when the inflatable flamme rouge - a marker that signifies there is one kilometre remaining - collapsed and fell on top of him.

The luckless Yates finished the stage 73rd, but race organisers subsequently confirmed he would be given a revised time to take into account the fact he was seven seconds clear of the peloton when stopped through no fault of his own.

Yates therefore sits second in the general classification and holds the white jersey for best young rider ahead of Saturday's eighth stage.

Prudhomme climbed aboard the Orica team bus to see Yates and told reporters: "I went to shake hands with him and say sorry."

The Briton had earlier reflected on the incident, saying: "I'm disappointed. There's not much you can do. I had no time to react.

"It's a good job it was just me on my own. It could have been a lot worse with the peloton sprinting at 70kph. It is what it is. Nothing can be done about it.

"I can't tell you what happened. The barrier came down. I did attack at the top of the climb. I tried to make a gap to take the white jersey."