Bordeaux is a Tour de France institution. This year marked the 82nd time that a stage finish of the Tour de France has taken place in the wine-growing town. As has so often been the case in the past, it was the sprinters who came out on top. After 175 kilometres, Tim Merlier (Soudal – Quick-Step) claimed victory ahead of Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) and Biniam Girmay (NSN).
Merlier thus followed in the footsteps of previous Tour winners in Bordeaux such as Mark Cavendish, Erik Zabel, Jean-Paul van Poppel, Jan Raas and Dietrich Thurau. Max Kanter (XDS-Astana) eventually finished fourth in the sprint, despite having to contest an extremely long sprint from a less-than-ideal position. Sixth place went to Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain – Victorious).
Alpecin–Premier Tech’s groundwork goes unrewarded
Meanwhile, other top sprinters were not among the frontrunners. Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM), the stage winner of the first bunch sprint on Stage 5, finished in 23rd place. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), the wearer of the green jersey, also finished only ninth.
The Alpecin-Premier Tech team, of all teams, probably expected more. The Belgian side reached the Flamme Rouge in the lead and, with Mathieu van der Poel in first position, launched the sprint for Jasper Philipsen – albeit 250 metres before the finish line. Philipsen subsequently lacked the power and stamina to finish off the lead-out. The Belgian could only manage fourth place. Merlier, on the other hand, got his timing right, slipped through a gap behind Philipsen into the centre of the road and sprinted to a commanding victory.
Traeen will no longer be competing in this stage
The peloton was once again facing a scorching day with temperatures exceeding 35 °C, and there was hardly any cooling breeze. At least the terrain, with just one Category 4 climb, did not demand any excessive effort. Overall, it was the stage with the lowest elevation gain during the 2026 Tour de France – riders had to climb just 850 metres.
Torstein Traeen (Uno-X Mobility), who had taken the Yellow Jersey on Stage 4 but lost it again on Stage 6, did not take part in this stage. This was due to a crash on the descent from the Col du Tourmalet. Traeen continued the stage. However, after the stage, doctors diagnosed him with a concussion and several broken ribs.
The jerseys for the 2026 Tour de France
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) had a quiet day in the yellow jersey and remains 2 minutes and 42 seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike). Third place is held by Pogacar’s team-mate Isaac del Toro, who is 3 minutes and 27 seconds behind. The Mexican continues to wear the white jersey as the best young rider. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe) follows in seventh place, four minutes behind. Pedersen retained the lead in the points classification, whilst Pogacar leads the mountains classification.
Tour de France 2026 – Results of Stage 7
Stage 7: Hagetmau - Bordeaux
Tour de France 2026: Stage 7, Hagetmau - Bordeaux
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No results available yet
Here’s how Stage 7 of the 2026 Tour de France unfolded
With just one mountain classification and highly motivated sprinters’ teams following the mountainous opening stages, there was really nothing for breakaway riders to gain on this section. Eventually, after a few kilometres, Jakub managed to… Otruba (Caja Rural – Seguros RGA) and Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto – Intermarché) launched a breakaway attempt and faced no resistance whatsoever from the peloton. However, the lead never exceeded around two minutes – with Alpecin – Premier Tech and Soudal – Quick-Step at the front, the peloton kept everything under control.
Accordingly, the stage was largely uneventful. Veistroffer, from the breakaway group, took the intermediate sprint 55 kilometres from the finish in Landiras. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) sprinted from the peloton to take third place. Shortly afterwards, Veistroffer also won the day’s first mountain classification on the Côte de Béguey (Category 4).
With 50 kilometres to go, the two breakaway riders’ lead had shrunk to just one minute. The peloton then kept the breakaway duo on a tight leash, without putting an end to their attempt unnecessarily early. With 18 kilometres to go, both breakaway riders were caught. It all came down to a bunch sprint.
