Tim Merlier wins Tour de France stage 7 in Bordeaux as Pogacar keeps yellow jersey
The Belgian Soudal Quick-Step rider powered clear of Soren Waerenskjold and Biniam Girmay in a mass sprint on the 175 km flat stage from Hagetmau.
Sprint finish on the Garonne
A long, flat 175 km run from Hagetmau through the Landes and Gironde ended with an explosive bunch sprint on the banks of the Garonne in Bordeaux. Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) won the seventh stage of the 2026 Tour de France on Friday afternoon, 10 July, surging past his rivals in the final metres. The Belgian finished two bike lengths clear of Norway's Soren Waerenskjold (UXM) and Eritrea's Biniam Girmay (NSN).
Le bolide de l'équipe Soudal-Quick Step s'est imposé largement en surgissant dans le final pour faire dérailler le train mis en place par la formation Alpecin pour son sprinteur Jasper Philipsen, seulement cinquième.
The Alpecin lead-out train, set up for Jasper Philipsen, was derailed when Merlier launched his winning acceleration. Philipsen could manage only fifth place.
General classification unchanged
The stage was a transitional day after Tadej Pogacar's demonstration on the Tourmalet a day earlier, which had returned the UAE Team Emirates leader to the yellow jersey. Pogacar's lead was never under threat on the flat parcours. He remains the overall leader after stage 7, with the general classification unchanged.
Le maillot jaune de Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) n'a, sans surprise, pas été inquiété une seconde.
Route and conditions
Stage 7 ran 175 km from Hagetmau to Bordeaux, traversing the Landes department and continuing into the Gironde. The completely flat profile made it a day for the sprinters, and a fight for position in the closing kilometres was widely expected. Riders jostled for space in the final few hundred metres before Merlier asserted his superior power.
- Tim Merlier
- 1
- Soren Waerenskjold
- 2
- Biniam Girmay
- 3
Merlier's fourth career Tour stage
Tim Merlier's victory adds to his growing palmarès in the Tour de France. The Soudal Quick-Step rider, already a proven winner in Grand Tour sprints, was delivered into position by his team after a controlled chase of the day's breakaway. His winning margin was the largest of the sprint stages so far in this edition.
