Tour de France: Tim Merlier banishes bunch in Bordeaux for stage 7 sprint victory

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Søren Wærenskjold goes second, Biniam Girmay third

Soudal Quick-Step team's Belgian rider Tim Merlier cycles to the finish line to win the 7th stage of the 113th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 175 km between Hagetmau and Bordeaux in southwestern France, on July 10, 2026. (Photo by Jeff PACHOUD / AFP)
Tour de France: Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) surges to stage 7 victory in Bordeaux (Image credit: Getty Images)
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Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) proved he could manage without his trusty lead-out man Bert Van Lerberghe, winning stage 7 of the Tour de France in a bunch sprint in Bordeaux.

Merlier started from too far back in the previous sprint stage on Wednesday, but, despite being a man down due to Van Lergberghe’s abandon, he floated beautifully in the hectic final kilometres before producing a devastating acceleration for the line.

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Patrick Fletcher
Patrick Fletcher
Deputy Editor

Patrick is an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish) and a decade’s experience in digital sports media, largely within the world of cycling. He re-joined Cyclingnews as Deputy Editor in February 2026, having previously spent eight years on staff between 2015 and 2023. In between, he was Deputy Editor at GCN and spent 18 months working across the sports portfolio at Future before returning to the cycling press pack. Patrick works across Cyclingnews’ wide-ranging output, assisting the Editor in global content strategy, with a particular focus on shaping CN's news operation.

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