Belgian rider Tim Merlier has secured the prestigious sprint stage victory in Bordeaux at the Tour de France. At the end of the 175.1-kilometre seventh stage between Hagetmau and the wine capital, German Tour debutant Max Kanter finished fourth. For 33-year-old Merlier, this is his fourth stage victory at the Tour. Sören Waerenskjold from Norway came second and Biniam Girmay from Eritrea third.
Kanter was initially a bit boxed in on the long but relatively narrow home straight, but then managed to move up the field. A slight nudge from Dorian Godon prevented him from achieving an even better placing.
The day after his impressive solo ride through the Pyrenees, Tadej Pogacar defended his Yellow Jersey with ease. The Slovenian remains 2 minutes and 42 seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard. Germany’s hope, Florian Lipowitz, is seventh. In sweltering heat of up to 36 degrees, two breakaway riders tried their luck, but were never allowed to get far ahead of the peloton and were caught around 18 kilometres from the finish.
Victories in a sprint finish in Bordeaux are highly coveted amongst the fast riders. Erik Zabel won in the city on the River Garonne in 1995 and 1997. On Saturday, there will be another flat stage, on which a bunch sprint is likely.
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