Merlier wins Tour de France seventh stage in sprint finish

Belgian Tim Merlier won the Tour de France seventh stage in a sprint finish at the end of a 175km run from Hagetmau to Bordeaux on Friday.

Norwegian Soren Waerenskjold took second place with Eritrean Biniam Girmay third as reigning champion Tadej Pogacar held onto the race leader’s yellow jersey.

In a relatively uneventful day in the sweltering southwest of France, when the temperatures reached 38C in Bordeaux, Merlier timed his effort to perfection, reeling in compatriot Jasper Philipsen and Girmay to secure a clear victory.

Asked if it was a perfect sprint, Merlier said: “I don’t know, because I launched my sprint with, I don’t know how far it was.

“It was a mess to be in position, but I made it, thanks to the team, it was great work from them.”