Results Tour de France 2026 stage 7 - Tim Merlier wins bunch sprint to Bordeaux as Quick-Step open Tour tally
CyclingFriday, 10 July 2026 at 17:10
Stage 7 of the Tour de France was a day for the sprinters and the fast men had an arrival that was perfect for them. Without any climbs on the menu, it all came down to a bunch sprint, where Tim Merlier was the fastest in a sprint where Jasper Philipsen looked to have the perfect leadout.
The stage saw a breakaway of two men, with Baptiste Veistroffer once again taking part in the escapee group, joined by Caja Rural - Seguros RGA's Jakob Otruba. The two had a fast day on the bike, as the Tour headed away from the Pyrenees and the mountains for a few easier days on the bike.
In the stage's intermediate sprint, Mads Pedersen went on to slightly expand his lead in the fight for the green jersey, coming in third - first from the peloton - ahead of Biniam Girmay and Max Kanter. As had previously been the case, Olav Kooij did not contest, effectively ensuring that he still carries no points classification ambitions.
In the final 25 kilometers the stage saw a few moves from Uno-X Mobility, who lost the yellow jersey Torstein Traeen 24 hours prior. Jonas Abrahamsen, thus far unsuccessful in his breakaway endeavors, tried to surprise on two occasions but the peloton was quick to react to these attacks. The front duo was caught with 18 kilomters to go.
Tension was high once again into the final kilometers, with a fresh peloton and a pan-flat finale becoming a dangerous task for sprinters and GC riders alike. INEOS and Cofidis were two of the teams who spearheaded the peloton the earliest, in order to avoid crashes as had happened in Pau two days prior.
Alpecin - Premier Tech headed into the final kilometer in perfect position and with several men in front. Jasper Philipsen was the first to launch his sprint alongside Fernando Gaviria who was in his wheel; but the two were swarmed a few meters later from a few riders who came from behind.
Tim Merlier was the fastest at the finish, taking his first win of the Tour and also opening up Soudal - Quick-Step's tally for the race. He beat Soren Waerenskjold and Biniam Girmay to the line.
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Results Tour de France 2026 stage 7
Carlos Silva is a writer for CiclismoAtual.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he contributes race reports, interviews, analysis pieces, and live coverage of the international cycling calendar. Holding a degree in Sports from the Jean Piaget Institute, he combines academic knowledge of performance, training, and competition with hands-on journalism experience in professional cycling.
Throughout his career, Carlos has conducted interviews with leading figures in the sport, including Alberto Contador, Joaquim Rodríguez, Óscar Pereiro, João Almeida, Isaac del Toro, Derek Gee, John Degenkolb and Geraint Thomas. These conversations reflect direct engagement with Grand Tour winners, Classics specialists, and emerging talents.
He has provided on-site coverage at major events ranging from the Vuelta a España to the Tour de France, alongside stage races such as Vuelta a Andalucía, Volta ao Algarve, Volta a Portugal and O Gran Camiño. Covering the mythical climbs of the Giro d'Italia remains one of his professional ambitions.
Carlos is responsible for liveblog coverage of all major WorldTour races and beyond, including the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España. His reporting integrates verified data from ProCyclingStats to ensure statistical accuracy, contextual depth, and analytical precision.
A lifelong cycling enthusiast, he approaches storytelling across written, photographic, and video formats with a focus on credibility, tactical insight, and informed race interpretation.
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- he is paid to race, what is this Wiggins going on about?? Jonas is not here as a recreation rider.foothead10-07-2026
- Lipo vs Remco- that battle is definitely not over, lol. When is Lipo's contract up?
ScottG10-07-2026 - Reach a conclusion then mate
Rafionain-Glas10-07-2026 - Why would he quit? Too much projecting by Wiggins. Jonas was very straightforward- it wasn't his day. Still- a group of fantastic climbers still couldn't catch him. This Tour is far from over.ScottG10-07-2026
- I was going to say the same thing. I'm also surprised how he didn't follow it up with a book promotion or at least link Vingegaard's struggles to how he (Wiggins) has had a terrible life and everyone's been nasty to him. I hope Ben Wiggins hasn't inherited that.Rafionain-Glas10-07-2026
- Who are you replying to, yourself? Or just admitting you didn’t realise half your statements were opinion?Jumpyjohn10-07-2026
- Ok notedslappers6610-07-2026
- I think Tadej turns boring stages into GC firework. Compare this to Chris Froome era where nothing happens until big mountain stages, we get to see firework even on punchy stages. I doubt a more conservative generation of GC riders will turn stage 6 into firework. They don't attack from that far on GT and the last climb won't make a big gap on GC.
KerisVroom10-07-2026 - Good Point! Maybe A.S.O. should make the stages different..only putting the High Montains (queen stages) in last week or so? They did change Green Jersey points this year because of POGI almost winning last year, so they are making adjustements.... Its a Tough Topic this one... It was cool they made some kind of a pool to know the fans opinio. Are we divided in this?Alexcavalera10-07-2026
- If I may gently remind you, Javier Ares is Spanish. Spanish only care for GCRafionain-Glas10-07-2026
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