PARIS — Belgian Tim Merlier won the Tour de France seventh stage in a sprint finish at the end of a 175km run from Hagetmau to Bordeaux.
Norwegian Soren Waerenskjold took second place with Eritrean Biniam Girmay third as reigning champion Tadej Pogacar held onto the race leader’s yellow jersey.
In a relatively uneventful day in southwest France, where the temperatures reached a maximum of 38C in Bordeaux, Merlier timed his effort to perfection, reeling in compatriot Jasper Philipsen and Girmay to secure a clear victory.
Philipsen’s Alpecin-Premier Tech team had seemed to set up the 10-time Tour stage winner perfectly for his dash to the line but he simply did not have the straight-line speed to hold off Merlier.
Philipsen was fifth behind German Max Kanter in fourth, while Dane Mads Pedersen retained his lead in the sprinters’ green jersey points competition after finishing eighth.
It was another day with a breakaway doomed from the start, and few riders showing an interest in being a part of it, AFP reported.
Frenchman Baptiste Veistroffer escaped from the chequered flag for the second time in three days. But having ridden 144km alone, this time he had Czech Jakub Otruba for company.
