Defending champion on the tour again in yellow
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By Sebastian Lindner
11.07.2025 | (RSN)-It was the result that everyone expected: Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Emirates-XRG) won the 7th stage of the Tour de France 2025 from Saint-Malo to the Mur-de-Brittany and returned the yellow jersey by Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck). The Dutch no longer played a role in the final. Second, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma – Lease A Bike), who was the only one in the uphill sprint on the Mur, could hold the rear wheel of the world champion.
Two seconds behind the duo, Oscar Onley (Picnic – Postnl) was third, Felix Gall (Decathlon – AG2R La Mondiale) drove over the finish line immediately after him and was happy to be happy. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease A Bike), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick-Step), Kevin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) also arrived with two seconds.
Florian Lipowitz was able to cause damage limitation on unpopular terrain with 21 seconds behind and reached the goal together with his captain Primoz Roglic (Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe). Emanuel Buchmann (Cofidis) conceded significantly more gap at 2:17 minutes, but did a little ground in the overall ranking and is led there as a second best German with eight and a half minutes.
For Lipowitz and Roglic it went up a rank in step, the Red Bull duo is now in places eight and nine, but had to let on-off. On the other hand, Ben Healy (EF Education-Easypost) and Joao Almeida (UAE-Emirates-XRG) have fallen back, which were involved in a fall in the top group six kilometers before the finish line, which also cost Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) all classification ambitions. His teammate Jack Haig was also a victim of the high-speed crash and had to give up the race.
Almeida crash briefly brings UAE tactics into a brief
“I’m really happy about this victory,” said Pogacar, who, thanks to the bonus customers, now leads the overall ranking with 54 seconds before Evenepoel and 1:11 minutes before Vauquelin, in the Flash interview. However, he restricted: “But it was almost perfect, because unfortunately Joao fell. I hope he is okay. I just wish that he is okay.” The Almeida crash also influenced the UAE tactics in the final. “The plan was that the team brought me to the foot of the Mur. Joao should also be there. Jhonny (Narvaez) then closed the gap on the last kilometer and made a super job and checked to the sprint. It was great for me.”
Apart from the final, UAE – except for Nils Politt, who was almost in the all -day day – had a relatively quiet day. The pace was high until the top group could come off after 60 kilometers, but could not drive in the wind. Afterwards Alpecin – Deceuninck supported the only five outliers around Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), who drives his farewell tour. In the end, the average speed was more than 48 km/h, which was also strongly favored by the tailwind, which blew over long distances of the day.
The intermediate sprint of the day once again won Jonathan Milan (Lidl – Trek) and collected the ten remaining points with which he was still unable to defend his green jersey, because winner Pogacar was credited to the daily win. Only Biniam Girmay (Intermarché – Wanty) had interfered in the interim ranking.
Otherwise everything remains at the top of the special ratings. Pogacar’s teammate Tim Wellens defended the mountain jersey. Evenepoel is the man in white.
So the 7th stage of the Tour de France 2025 ran:
From the beginning, the stage was driven at full speed. Wout van Aert (Visma – Lease A Bike) and Mauro Schmid (Jayco – Alula) determined the first kilometers of the day as a top duo, but were not left out. Neilson Powless (EF Education – Easypost) and Valentin Madous (Groupama – FDJ) were other drivers who wanted to look in vain. But it took 60 kilometers until Visma was no longer interested in holding up the pace to over 54 km/h.
Marco Haller (Tudor), Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), Ivan Garcia Cortina (Movistar), Ewen Costiou (Arkéa – B & B Hotels) and Alex Baudin (EF Education – Easypost) were then the five men who could come loose. Her lead settled relatively quickly at around one and a half minutes.
Only when it went to the intermediate sprint after 57 kilometers did the lead shrank to a little more than a minute. Van der Poel kept out, only Girmay and Milan were interested in the remaining ten points, which the man finally secured in green. Subsequently, Uae and Alpecin, who had taken over the instruction work since the establishment of the top group, held the distance at one minute.
Bretone Costiou is the first to take the Mur-de-Bretagne
The top group for Haller was over 40 kilometers before the finish line, and he dropped back with cramps. Shortly before, Thomas had pulled on the Horn to revive the group again. The first mountain ranking of the day (4th cat.) Costiou, who then left all of his companions and also claimed the first crossing of the Mur-de-Brittany (3rd cat.). The group of favorites went on the daily and overall victory to the 15-kilometer final round for 20 seconds, van der Poel had a little bit more behind.
The route profile of the 7th stage of the Tour de France | Photo: organizer
Costiou was then set twelve kilometers before the end. UAE took control again, which in the meantime had torn Visma. In the descent, which ran almost to the final climb, it hit violently. About six kilometers before the finish, there was a fall in the top group, in which Joao Almeida (UAE – Emirates – XRG), Enric Mas (Movistar), Jack Haig and Santiago Buitrago (both Bahrain Victorious) were involved. Haig could not continue the race.
Narvaez pulls Pogacar up to the finish line
Two kilometers before the finish, the top group turned back to the Mur. Led by Wellens, which did not stay in front, still a good 30 drivers rolled into the climb. Van der Poel quickly lost the connection. Pogacar, Evenepoel and Vingegaard initially loosened from the pursuers. However, Vauquelin, Jorgenson, Gall, Onley, Axel Laurance (Ineos Grenadiers) and Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE) were back under the devil lob again.
It was the Ecuadorian who went forward and pulled the group up to the 200-meter brand. Then Pogacar put on his sprint. Vingegaard was the only one who could go. But he didn’t make it past the world champion. Onley was considered third with two seconds behind, followed by the simultaneous gall. Lipowitz and Roglic received 21 seconds behind, among other things, for Van der Poel it was 1:20 minutes.
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