{"id":6931,"date":"2026-07-10T16:06:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T16:06:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6931"},"modified":"2026-07-10T16:06:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T16:06:36","slug":"belgian-rider-merlier-wins-7th-stage-of-the-tour-as-race-favorite-pogacar-keeps-the-yellow-jersey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6931","title":{"rendered":"Belgian rider Merlier wins 7th stage of the Tour as race favorite Pogacar keeps the yellow jersey"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
Belgium\u2019s Tim Merlier celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the seventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race with start in Hagetmau and finish in Bordeaux, France, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo\/Thibault Camus)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

BORDEAUX, France \u2014 Belgian rider Tim Merlier won the seventh stage of the Tour de France in a sprint finish on Friday while race favorite Tadej Pogacar kept the leader\u2019s yellow jersey.<\/p>

Read more Suspended Army pilots cleared after beach flyover as Hegseth weighs in<\/a><\/p>\n

Merlier was moved into position to attack by his Soudal Quick-Step team and timed his move well to clinch his fourth Tour stage win.<\/p>\n

Four-time Tour champion Pogacar finished safely in the main pack along with two-time winner Jonas Vinegaard, his closest rival. He maintained his lead of 2 minutes, 42 seconds over second-place Vinegaard in the overall standings.<\/p>\n

Pogacar reclaimed the yellow jersey from Norwegian rider Torstein Traeen with a typical attacking masterclass<\/a> in the high mountains of the Pyrenees on Thursday\u2019s sixth stage.<\/p>\n

Traeen crashed in that stage and, although he completed it, he pulled out of the Tour after medical tests revealed multiple rib fractures and concussion.<\/p>

Read more Liverpool heading for more change as key exec Edwards leaves club\u2019s owner Fenway Sports Group<\/a><\/p>\n

Stage 7 took riders on a mostly flat 175-kilometer (109-mile) route from Hagetmau to the wine-loving city of Bordeaux.<\/p>\n

In sweltering conditions hitting 36 degrees Celsius (97 Fahrenheit) during an ongoing heatwave in the country, Frenchman Baptiste Veistroffer formed a two-man breakaway with Czech Jakub Otruba. They were caught with 18 kilometers left by the chasing pack as teams looked to place their leading sprinter in position to contest the victory.<\/p>\n

Veteran Mathieu van der Poel rode hard and put Jasper Philipsen at the front with 250 meters to go, but Philipsen could not sustain his attack and was overtaken by Merlier. Norwegian Soren Waerenskjold finished second and Eritrean Biniam Girmay<\/a> placed third.<\/p>\n

All three crossed the line in 3 hours, 44 minutes, 20 seconds.<\/p>\n

Stage 8 on Saturday is also made for sprinters and ends in the southeastern city of Bergerac.<\/p>

Read more Portugal hires Jorge Jesus as its new coach after disappointing World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n

The race concludes with its traditional finish in Paris on July 26. ___<\/p>\n

AP sports: https:\/\/apnews.com\/sports<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Belgian rider Tim Merlier won the seventh stage of the Tour de France in a sprint finish while race favorite Tadej Pogacar kept the leader\u2019s yellow jersey<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nBelgian rider Merlier wins 7th stage of the Tour as race favorite Pogacar keeps the yellow jersey - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6931\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Belgian rider Merlier wins 7th stage of the Tour as race favorite Pogacar keeps the yellow jersey - 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