BORDEAUX — Tim Merlier won stage seven of the 2026 Tour de France in a bunch sprint finish on Thursday, July 10. The Belgian cyclist, riding for Soudal Quick-Step, completed the 175.1km route from Hagetmau to Bordeaux in 3 hours, 44 minutes, and 20 seconds. Soren Waerenskjold of Norway placed second, and Biniam Girmay of Eritrea finished third; both recorded the same time as Merlier. Jasper Philipsen secured fifth place in the stage.

Baptiste Veistroffer and Jakub Otruba formed a two-man breakaway during the stage. The peloton caught the breakaway with 18 kilometers remaining. Temperatures reached 36 degrees Celsius during the race.

Merlier stated that positioning for the sprint was challenging. "It was a mess to be in position, but I made it thanks to the team," Merlier said. He also noted his team's effort in closing the gap to the breakaway. "We were the only team with Alpecin who were riding to take the breakaway back, so I'm happy it's not another team who win."

This victory marks Merlier's fourth stage win at the Tour de France. "It's only my third Tour de France. In every participation, I take a win, it makes me proud," he added. Tadej Pogacar maintained his overall lead in the general classification after the stage. Pogacar holds a 2-minute and 42-second advantage over Jonas Vingegaard. Isaac del Toro is positioned third in the general classification, 3 minutes and 27 seconds behind Pogacar. Stage eight of the Tour de France is scheduled for Friday, July 11, covering a 180.4km route from Perigueux to Bergerac.