Tour de France: Tim Merlier Wins in Bordeaux—His Gesture at the Finish Line Brings a Smile. Tadej Pogacar Remains Comfortably in the Yellow Jersey

Tim Merlier, a rider for Soudal Quick-Step, claimed victory in the seventh stage of the 2026 Tour de France, which took the riders from Hagetmau to Bordeaux, the capital of the Gironde department, after a relatively flat 175.1-kilometer route. The Belgian, who made the most of his sprinting skills in the final 200 meters, finished ahead of Norway’s Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) and Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay (NSN Cycling Team), who rounded out the day’s podium.

Merlier himself made an interesting gesture at the finish line: after raising his arms to the sky, he seemed to brush the dust off his shoulders, bringing a smile to the faces of more than a few insiders. There were no changes in the general classification, where Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), following yet another solo feat on the stage featuring the Aspin and Tourmalet climbs, leads by 2’42” over Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) and 3’27” over the Slovenian’s teammate, Isaac Del Toro.