OFFICIAL Stage 7 Results

[Laurens De Jong]

Hello, Tour de France Gamers!

 

STAGE Grade: C

 

I rate today’s stage a C. The route was uninspiring and nothing much happened. I listened to Sporza and they talked about nothing but the (then) upcoming Spain v Belgium match. If the flandriens think the race isn’t interesting, I’m not going to question them. I found it interesting that only Alpecin – Premier Tech  and Soudal Quick-Step chased the breakaway, so one extra point for tactics. It wasn’t a great sprint and there were no surprises.

 

Route: 1/5         GC: 1/5             Tactics: 2/5       Sprint: 4/5         Surprises: 1/5

 

 

Not Biniam Girmay but Jasper Philipsen had the best lead-out train today. Everyone got safely through those turns at the start of the sprint zone, like I hoped and expected. And then Alpecin – Premier Tech lined up: Jonas Rickaert, Edward Planckaert, Tim Marsman, Mathieu van der Poel. We have seen this before. After stage 1 of the 2025 Vuelta a España I wrote: “Alpecin-Deceuninck executed the perfect lead-out for Philipsen. Any sprinter could have won from that position.”

 

Today was no different. Van der Poel took the final turn, accelerated hard, Philipsen in his wheel. Nobody else but Philipsen could win that sprint. Van der Poel swerved across with 200 meters to go, any sprinter can win from that position.

 

Apparently, that’s not true. Philipsen visibly didn’t have the legs. For 400 meters van der Poel paced him, but as soon as he was gone, riders were coming past Philipsen at an alarming rate. Fernando Gaviria catapulted through but a reckless move by Philipsen to the barrier stopped him. I think he should have been relegated for that move but not for the first time, the officials saw it different.

 

Tim Merlier is the fastest rider in the peloton. He was lucky that Dorian Godon was intimated by his move to the left — if Godon had stayed put, Merlier would have been boxed in. Details matter, the fastest rider does not always win the sprint.

 

But today he did.

 

We’ve already mentioned Gaviria, he’s our focus rider of the day thanks to Team Adam. Gaviria is 31 years old, not exactly ancient but far removed from the sprinter who won four stages in the 2017 Giro d’Italia. His last victory in a grand tour was in 2019, also in the Giro.

 

But you don’t forget how to sprint and today he showed he could surprise us. He absolutely would have beaten Philipsen in the sprint today, if not for that move by Jasper Disaster. He never had to stop pedaling completely, but all that shoulder-barging saps energy.

 

Perhaps I’m being a sentimental optimist. Gaviria finished 14^th and in the replay I can see how much faster those guys were. He still has the knack of finding his way to the front at the right time. I’d like to see him win a stage, it could happen if everything clicks.

 

Watch the final kilometer HERE.

Watch the FloBikes highlights HERE.

Watch NBC Sports’ Extended highlights HERE (but why would you).

Read the TNT Sports report HERE.

 

Spoiler alert: there were only minor changes in the standings today. Team Charles and Team Caleb changed spots, Team Amalia dropped one position.

 

Team Tadej took victory today, just a point ahead of Team Josh. Team Josh had most points from the stage and most riders in the Top-25 (seven), but Team Tadej had most points from classifications.

 

Team Ansel took third, followed by Team Charles and Team Oliver. Next were Team Hugo, then Team Amalia in seventh. Team Caleb and Team Matthew shared eighth place.

 

The others missed the boat. Team Grace in tenth, Team Cameron in eleventh, Team Wesley in twelfth.

 

Stage 8 will be also a bunch sprint, no doubt about that. The final kilometers are a little more technical than Thursday’s finale. Three right corners and a traffic circle after the 4 kilometer point, and one more just 500 meters from the finish. A lot can go wrong and this time I’m not guaranteeing everyone well make it to the bunch sprint.

 

It’s time for me to give up on Biniam Girmay. I’ve already given up on Jasper Philipsen. Tim Merlier remains the fastest rider in the peloton. But we know it takes more than that. Olav Kooij picked the wrong rider today, or he could have won. Huub Artz has impressed me, substituting for Arnaud de Lie. Dorian Godon has been fast as well. Mike Teunissen, Max Kanter’s lead-out man, has promised Kanter a stage win.

 

In reality, there aren’t many surprises in bunch sprints. Tim Merlier will win stage 8 of the 2026 Tour de France.

 

Standings after stage 7:

 

Rank	Name	Points	WAS	MOVES
1	Team Tadej*	1645	1	0
2	Team Ansel*	1603	2	0
3	Team Josh*	1580	3	0
4	Team Hugo*	1483	4	0
5	Team Charles*	1356	6	1
6	Team Caleb*	1330	5	-1
7	Team Matthew*	1291	7	0
8	Team Oliver*	1178	8	0
9	Team Amalia*	1163	8	-1
10	Team Wesley*	855	10	0
11	Team Grace*	621	11	0
12	Team Cameron*	492	12	0

 

Standings after stage 7 (including dogs and adults):

 

Rank	Name	Points	WAS	MOVES
1	Team Tadej*	1645	2	1
2	Team Amelia	1612	1	-1
3	Team Ansel*	1603	3	0
4	Team Kent	1601	4	0
5	Team Josh*	1580	5	0
6	Team Kari	1568	6	0
7	Team Melanie	1523	8	1
8	Team Rob	1493	10	2
9	Team Eric	1487	11	2
10	Team Hugo*	1483	9	-1
11	Team Jon	1478	12	1
12	Team Craig	1467	13	1
13	Team Jonwaine	1456	7	-6
14	Team Kurt	1443	14	0
15	Team Julie	1427	15	0
16	Team Corsa	1373	17	1
17	Team Ed	1372	19	2
18	Team Laurens	1359	16	-2
19	Team Charles*	1356	20	1
20	Team Caleb*	1330	18	-2
21	Team Matthew*	1291	21	0
22	Team Ambrose	1235	25	3
23	Team Grace	1215	24	1
24	Team Ellie	1214	23	-1
25	Team Jonathan	1211	22	-3
26	Team Kate	1210	26	0
27	Team Oliver*	1178	28	1
28	Team Charlotte	1171	27	-1
29	Team Adam	1170	30	1
30	Team Amalia*	1163	28	-2
31	Team Cameron	1123	31	0
32	Team Erin	1070	31	-1
33	Team Suzanne	1060	33	0
34	Team Furner	1051	34	0
35	Team Lichterman	1017	37	2
36	Team Allison	1016	35	-1
37	Team Wesley	993	36	-1
38	Team Wesley*	855	38	0
39	Team Izzy	853	39	0
40	Team Senna#	842	40	0
41	Team Valerie	674	41	0
42	Team Grace*	621	42	0
43	Team Cameron*	492	43	0
44	Team Sam	480	44	0

 

Complete breakdown of points from stage 7:

 

Name	STAGE RESULTS	YELLOW JERSEY	GREEN JERSEY	POLKA DOT JERSEY	WHITE JERSEY	POINTS/CLASS	TOTAL	PREVIOUS	CUM. TOTAL
Team Amalia*	93	38	3	9	5	55	148	1015	1163
Team Ansel*	104	51	12	10	12	85	189	1414	1603
Team Caleb*	75	43	8	10	8	69	144	1186	1330
Team Cameron*	29	13	3	8	2	26	55	437	492
Team Charles*	104	43	12	10	8	73	177	1179	1356
Team Grace*	34	19	1	9	0	29	63	558	621
Team Hugo*	77	49	8	10	12	79	156	1327	1483
Team Josh*	122	50	12	10	13	85	207	1373	1580
Team Matthew*	75	43	8	10	8	69	144	1147	1291
Team Oliver*	100	38	12	9	4	63	163	1015	1178
Team Tadej*	118	52	12	13	14	91	209	1436	1645
Team Wesley*	0	36	0	6	8	50	50	805	855

 

Complete breakdown of points from stage 7 (including dogs and adults):

 

Name	STAGE RESULTS	YELLOW JERSEY	GREEN JERSEY	POLKA DOT JERSEY	WHITE JERSEY	POINTS/CLASS	TOTAL	PREVIOUS	CUM. TOTAL
Team Adam	95	38	7	10	12	67	162	1008	1170
Team Allison	49	33	9	5	8	55	104	912	1016
Team Amalia*	93	38	3	9	5	55	148	1015	1163
Team Ambrose	106	39	12	10	8	69	175	1060	1235
Team Amelia	77	54	8	13	14	89	166	1446	1612
Team Ansel*	104	51	12	10	12	85	189	1414	1603
Team Caleb*	75	43	8	10	8	69	144	1186	1330
Team Cameron	73	35	6	13	9	63	136	987	1123
Team Cameron*	29	13	3	8	2	26	55	437	492
Team Charles*	104	43	12	10	8	73	177	1179	1356
Team Charlotte	62	39	3	13	10	65	127	1044	1171
Team Corsa	95	49	10	10	12	81	176	1197	1373
Team Craig	100	49	12	10	12	83	183	1284	1467
Team Ed	118	43	12	10	8	73	191	1181	1372
Team Ellie	66	40	10	9	9	68	134	1080	1214
Team Eric	106	49	12	10	12	83	189	1298	1487
Team Erin	27	34	4	13	5	56	83	987	1070
Team Furner	29	38	1	10	12	61	90	961	1051
Team Grace	71	40	10	9	9	68	139	1076	1215
Team Grace*	34	19	1	9	0	29	63	558	621
Team Hugo*	77	49	8	10	12	79	156	1327	1483
Team Izzy	40	27	6	9	5	47	87	766	853
Team Jon	101	52	12	13	14	91	192	1286	1478
Team Jonathan	1	46	0	9	9	64	65	1146	1211
Team Jonwaine	35	54	2	13	14	83	118	1338	1456
Team Josh*	122	50	12	10	13	85	207	1373	1580
Team Julie	101	45	12	10	12	79	180	1247	1427
Team Kari	106	52	12	13	14	91	197	1371	1568
Team Kate	101	36	12	9	4	61	162	1048	1210
Team Kent	101	52	12	13	14	91	192	1409	1601
Team Kurt	104	44	12	13	10	79	183	1260	1443
Team Laurens	61	51	3	10	12	76	137	1222	1359
Team Lichterman	65	29	10	13	5	57	122	895	1017
Team Matthew*	75	43	8	10	8	69	144	1147	1291
Team Melanie	104	49	12	10	12	83	187	1336	1523
Team Oliver*	100	38	12	9	4	63	163	1015	1178
Team Rob	101	51	12	10	12	85	186	1307	1493
Team Sam	50	15	0	6	3	24	74	406	480
Team Senna#	42	26	6	9	0	41	83	759	842
Team Suzanne	27	39	4	10	8	61	88	972	1060
Team Tadej*	118	52	12	13	14	91	209	1436	1645
Team Valerie	73	19	6	11	0	36	109	565	674
Team Wesley	40	29	6	9	1	45	85	908	993
Team Wesley*	0	36	0	6	8	50	50	805	855

 

Allez le Tour!

 

-Laurens.