Stage 7 - Tim Merlier wins the Bordeaux bunch sprint

Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) won Stage 7 in Bordeaux for his first stage win of this Tour, taking the bunch sprint on the flat run from Hagetmau. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) finished second and extended his green-jersey lead; Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) was third.

Stage 7 - top 10

• 🏆 Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) - 3h 53'47", bonus 10"
• Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) - s.t., bonus 6"
• Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) - s.t., bonus 4"
• Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA-CGM) - s.t.
• Max Kanter (XDS Astana) - s.t.
• Biniam Girmay (NSN) - s.t.
• Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) - s.t.
• Huub Artz (Lotto Intermarché) - s.t.
• Milan Fretin (Cofidis) - s.t.
• Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Intermarché) - s.t.

GC unchanged

The whole peloton crossed the line together at the front. Pogačar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel, Ayuso and del Toro all keep their positions; yellow, white, polka-dot, green and team classifications all carry over to Stage 8 unchanged at the top.

Pedersen extends his green-jersey lead

Pedersen's 13 points for second place take him to 121 points on the green-jersey classification. Kooij is second on 89; Milan third on 75. With three more flat stages before the Alps, the Belgian-Scandi sprint duel between Pedersen and Milan is the storyline to watch.

Merlier's first win

After a frustrating first week in which his lead-out delivered him only top-5 finishes, Merlier finally got the win his form deserved. The 175.1 km stage was the only true sprint day in this Tour before the Massif Central, and he made it count.

What it means for Stage 8

Another flat stage (Périgueux → Bergerac, 180 km) on Saturday. Expect the same sprinters to contest the result, with the green-jersey race tightening further. GC favourites will keep their powder dry for the Massif Central next week.

Sources

• letour.fr Stage 7 ranking - letour.fr/en/stage-7
• letour.fr Stage 7 winner - Tim Merlier