Tour de France 2026, Stage 7: Merlier dominates

Tim Merlier proved he doesn't need anyone to win. The Belgian sprinter from Soudal-QuickStep won the seventh stage of the 2026 Tour de France , from Hagetmau to Bordeaux (175km), with a masterful sprint that silenced everyone. And to think he was racing without his trusted man Bert Van Lerberghe , who retired during the race: a detail that could have been fatal for any other sprinter, but not for him.

On Wednesday's flat stage, Merlier had paid the price for starting too far back in the final sprint. This time, he made no mistakes: in the final, frenetic kilometers, the Belgian moved with disarming fluidity, finding the right space on the left side of the road 200 meters from the finish and unleashing a devastating acceleration that left his opponents with no chance.

Alpecin-Premier Tech had assembled a textbook lineup, with five riders breaking away one by one starting 2.5 kilometers from the finish. It was a perfect effort on paper, but the final act proved fatal: Mathieu van der Poel launched Jasper Philipsen perhaps too early, with 250 meters to go, and the wind in his face did the rest. Philipsen, after narrowly missing Fernando Gaviria (Caja Rural), slipped back to fifth place: a debacle for a team that had dominated the race.

Second place went to Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility), who attempted to break ahead of the sprint but was clearly outpaced by Merlier. Third place went to Biniam Girmay (NSN Cycling), confirming his consistency and ability to consistently play a leading role in bunch sprints. Completely out of position, however, was Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM), winner of the fifth stage, who remained far from the front.

How the stage unfolded. The day unfolded similarly to the previous flat stage. Two riders, Frenchman Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto-Intermarché) and Slovakian Jakub Otruba (Caja Rural), broke away from kilometer zero, with the peloton largely indifferent. Alpecin and QuickStep kept the situation under control, keeping the breakaway duo's lead consistently under two minutes.

Uno-X brought the race to life, twice attempting to launch Jonas Abrahamsen into a breakaway, first around the sixtieth kilometer and then with just 22 kilometers to go. Both attempts were promptly stifled by the sprinters' teams. At the intermediate sprint in Landiras, with 55 kilometers still to go, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) emerged from the top ranks of the peloton, securing valuable points for the green jersey classification. XDS Astana produced an excellent performance by Max Kanter , who finished third on that occasion.

The breakaway regrouped with 18 km to go, after Veistroffer had unsuccessfully attempted to drop Otruba. From then on, it was all about positioning, with the sprint trains organizing despite narrow roads and a few too many shoulderings. Ineos and Cofidis battled for the lead until the final 2 km, where Alpecin took control with his trademark compact line.

Some ideas for fantasy cycling. Merlier's performance was simply extraordinary: winning without his lead-out man, managing his own pace in the tense final kilometers, confirms him as the most complete sprinter of the bunch. Those who have him on their fantasy cycling team can rest easy in the upcoming sprint-oriented stages. But watch out for Girmay, who has proven to be consistent and could surprise again. Philipsen deserves a reassessment: the team's work is excellent, but the finishing touches need improvement. Kooij, a stage winner in this Tour, has been completely sidelined; his condition needs to be monitored.

Stage 7 ranking (top 10): 1. Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) 3h44'20" - 2. Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) st - 3. Biniam Girmay (NSN Cycling) st - 4. Max Kanter (XDS Astana) st - 5. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) st - 6. Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) st - 7. Huub Artz (Lotto-Intermarché) st - 8. Dorian Godon (Ineos Grenadiers) st - 9. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) st - 10. Tom Van Asbroeck (NSN Cycling) st

Overall ranking (top 10): 1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 24h56'17" - 2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) +2'42" - 3. Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +3'27" - 4. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +3'30" - 5. Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) +3'34" - 6. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) +3'55" - 7. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +4'00" - 8. Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) +4'21" - 9. Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) +4'57" - 10. Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) +7'10"

Photo: Sprint Cycling Agency