GC and jerseys after Tour de France 2026 stage 7

Tim Merlier won stage 7 of the Tour de France 2026 in Bordeaux, but the general classification stayed firmly in Tadej Pogačar’s hands.

After the violence of stage 6 over the Tourmalet and into Gavarnie-Gèdre, this was a day for the sprinters and for GC riders to stay out of trouble. Merlier delivered the clearest answer, timing his sprint late to beat Søren Wærenskjold and Biniam Girmay at the end of the 175.1km stage from Hagetmau to Bordeaux.

Pogačar finished safely in the front group and retained yellow. The stage did not change the top of the GC, but it sharpened the picture in the points classification. Mads Pedersen still leads green, Girmay moved closer behind him, Merlier jumped up after his win, and Jasper Philipsen missed another chance to take a major sprint-stage haul.

Our Tour de France 2026 stage 7 report covers the sprint finish in full, while the wider race position after the mountains was covered in our GC and jerseys after Tour de France 2026 stage 6.

Tour de France 2026 jerseys after stage 7

Jersey	Rider	Team	Lead
Yellow jersey	Tadej Pogačar	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	2:42 over Jonas Vingegaard
Green jersey	Mads Pedersen	Lidl-Trek	204 points
Polka-dot jersey	Tadej Pogačar	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	28 points
White jersey	Isaac del Toro	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	7 seconds over Juan Ayuso
Team classification	Lidl-Trek	Lidl-Trek	27:01 over Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
Combativity	Baptiste Veistroffer	Lotto Intermarché	Stage 7 combativity award

Pogačar remains the key figure across the race. He is in yellow, leads the mountains classification and still has UAE teammate Del Toro sitting third overall and leading white. That gives UAE a huge position of strength, but it also gives the rest of the race a clear target.

Stage 7 result: Merlier wins in Bordeaux

Merlier’s win was the first Soudal Quick-Step victory of the race and a reminder that the Belgian is still one of the fastest pure sprinters in the Tour. He came through late after Wærenskjold opened up, with Girmay taking third and Max Kanter fourth.

Philipsen, who had Alpecin-Premier Tech working strongly into the final, could only finish fifth.

Position	Rider	Team	Time
1	Tim Merlier	Soudal Quick-Step	3:44:20
2	Søren Wærenskjold	Uno-X Mobility	same time
3	Biniam Girmay	NSN Cycling Team	same time
4	Max Kanter	XDS Astana Team	same time
5	Jasper Philipsen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	same time
6	Phil Bauhaus	Bahrain Victorious	same time
7	Huub Artz	Lotto Intermarché	same time
8	Dorian Godon	Netcompany Ineos Cycling Team	same time
9	Mads Pedersen	Lidl-Trek	same time
10	Tom Van Asbroeck	NSN Cycling Team	same time

The breakaway was brought back with around 18km remaining, and the expected sprint duly arrived on the banks of the Garonne. Bordeaux had always looked like one of the clearest sprint days of the opening week, as set out in our Tour de France 2026 stage 7 preview.

General classification after stage 7

There was no change at the top of the general classification. Pogačar remains in yellow, with Vingegaard still 2:42 down and Del Toro holding third overall. The main GC riders all finished safely in the bunch, which meant the Tour carried the same post-Tourmalet hierarchy into stage 8.

Rank	Rider	Team	Time / gap
1	Tadej Pogačar	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	24:56:17
2	Jonas Vingegaard	Visma-Lease a Bike	+2:42
3	Isaac del Toro	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	+3:27
4	Remco Evenepoel	Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe	+3:30
5	Juan Ayuso	Lidl-Trek	+3:34
6	Paul Seixas	Decathlon CMA CGM	+3:55
7	Florian Lipowitz	Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe	+4:00
8	Lenny Martinez	Bahrain Victorious	+4:21
9	Mattias Skjelmose	Lidl-Trek	+4:57
10	Mathias Vacek	Lidl-Trek	+7:10

The big GC story is still stage 6, not stage 7. Bordeaux did not reopen the Tour, and it did not deepen Pogačar’s lead. It simply carried the race forward with the same basic question: can anyone make Pogačar uncomfortable before the Alps?

Our stage 6 report from Gavarnie-Gèdre remains the key reference point for why the GC now looks this way.

Yellow jersey: Pogačar keeps control

Pogačar’s yellow jersey lead remains 2:42 over Vingegaard. That is already a serious margin after the first mountain stage, but it is not large enough for UAE Team Emirates-XRG to ride passively for the next two weeks.

Stage 7 was therefore about keeping the leader safe. UAE did not need to chase the sprint, but they did need to keep Pogačar near the front, out of trouble and away from the worst of the late positioning fights. That part was done.

The Tour now sits in an interesting phase. Pogačar looks in command, but the race has not reached the second mountain block. Vingegaard, Evenepoel, Ayuso, Del Toro and Seixas all came through Bordeaux without losing more time. That means the yellow jersey battle is frozen rather than finished.

The harder question is whether frozen is enough for Pogačar. If the next few stages simply pass without pressure, his stage 6 advantage becomes more valuable by the day.

Green jersey: Pedersen extends, but Girmay and Merlier move closer

The green jersey remains with Mads Pedersen, and his lead still looks strong.

Pedersen finished ninth in Bordeaux, but the important part was that he also scored at the intermediate sprint and lifted his total to 204 points. Behind him, Girmay moved to 145 points, Kanter sits on 140, Merlier jumped to 134 after winning the stage, and Philipsen has 126.

Rank	Rider	Team	Points
1	Mads Pedersen	Lidl-Trek	204
2	Biniam Girmay	NSN Cycling Team	145
3	Max Kanter	XDS Astana Team	140
4	Tim Merlier	Soudal Quick-Step	134
5	Jasper Philipsen	Alpecin-Premier Tech	126
6	Tadej Pogačar	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	75
7	Søren Wærenskjold	Uno-X Mobility	73
8	Olav Kooij	Decathlon CMA CGM	70
9	Anthony Turgis	TotalEnergies	64
10	Jonas Vingegaard	Visma-Lease a Bike	61

Our analysis of whether Mads Pedersen can win green at the Tour de France 2026 now feels even more relevant. He does not have to win every sprint. He just has to keep collecting when others miss.

Polka-dot jersey: Pogačar leads, Vingegaard wears it

The mountains classification did not change meaningfully in Bordeaux.

Pogačar still leads with 28 points after his stage 6 Tourmalet and Gavarnie-Gèdre performance. Vingegaard is second on 19, Lenny Martinez third on 16, Alex Baudin fourth on 13 and Paul Seixas fifth on 12.

Rank	Rider	Team	Points
1	Tadej Pogačar	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	28
2	Jonas Vingegaard	Visma-Lease a Bike	19
3	Lenny Martinez	Bahrain Victorious	16
4	Alex Baudin	EF Education-EasyPost	13
5	Paul Seixas	Decathlon CMA CGM	12
6	Valentin Paret-Peintre	Soudal Quick-Step	10
7	Isaac del Toro	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	10
8	Florian Lipowitz	Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe	10
9	Nicolas Prodhomme	Decathlon CMA CGM	9
10	Raúl García Pierna	Movistar Team	7

Because Pogačar is in yellow, Vingegaard is set to wear the polka-dot jersey on the road. That creates a neat but slightly awkward image: the rider chasing the yellow jersey also represents the mountains classification, while the actual leader in both categories is Pogačar.

The next serious shake-up in this competition will not come from stages like Bordeaux. It will come when the race returns to bigger climbs, especially if breakaway riders begin targeting the mountains classification more deliberately.

For the bigger climbing picture, see our guide to the best climbers at the Tour de France 2026 and our Tour de France 2026 mountain stages ranked by difficulty.

White jersey: Del Toro still leads Ayuso by seven seconds

The white jersey competition remains one of the tightest races in the Tour.

Isaac del Toro leads Juan Ayuso by just seven seconds, with Paul Seixas at 28 seconds and Lenny Martinez at 54 seconds. That is a high-quality young rider classification, but it is also bound up with the overall podium fight. Del Toro is third on GC, Ayuso is fifth, Seixas sixth and Martinez eighth.

Rank	Rider	Team	Time / gap
1	Isaac del Toro	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	24:59:44
2	Juan Ayuso	Lidl-Trek	+0:07
3	Paul Seixas	Decathlon CMA CGM	+0:28
4	Lenny Martinez	Bahrain Victorious	+0:54
5	Mathias Vacek	Lidl-Trek	+3:43
6	Davide Piganzoli	Visma-Lease a Bike	+7:19
7	Lennert Van Eetvelt	Lotto Intermarché	+7:24
8	Ramses Debruyne	Alpecin-Premier Tech	+7:59
9	Pablo Castrillo	Movistar Team	+9:57
10	Antonio Tiberi	Bahrain Victorious	+23:36

The interesting dynamic is UAE’s position. Pogačar leads yellow, Del Toro leads white and sits third overall. That gives UAE a huge platform, but also more to defend if the race becomes chaotic later.

For Ayuso, Seixas and Martinez, the white jersey remains reachable. For Del Toro, the challenge is not simply staying ahead in the young rider race. It is doing that while carrying podium pressure in the same team as the yellow jersey.

Team classification: Lidl-Trek still well clear

Lidl-Trek continue to lead the team classification after another stable day. Their total time is 74:38:20, with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe at 27:01 and UAE Team Emirates-XRG at 27:08. Visma-Lease a Bike sit fourth at 36:22.

Rank	Team	Time / gap
1	Lidl-Trek	74:38:20
2	Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe	+27:01
3	UAE Team Emirates-XRG	+27:08
4	Visma-Lease a Bike	+36:22
5	EF Education-EasyPost	+1:00:48
6	Decathlon CMA CGM	+1:01:19
7	Netcompany Ineos Cycling Team	+1:04:01
8	Movistar Team	+1:19:19
9	Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	+1:19:40
10	Uno-X Mobility	+1:25:51

That lead comes from Lidl-Trek’s strength across the first week, especially the stage 4 breakaway day. It is not the most visible classification for casual viewers, but it does underline how many cards Lidl-Trek still have in the race: Ayuso in the GC, Skjelmose and Vacek high overall, Pedersen in green contention, and a team time buffer that remains substantial.

Our Tour de France 2026 team-by-team guide explains how those different team roles feed into the wider race.

Combativity: Veistroffer gets the prize

Baptiste Veistroffer took the combativity award for stage 7. He was one of the riders who gave the early breakaway its shape, with the move eventually caught before the sprint teams took over.

It was a familiar role for a rider who has already been visible in this opening week. On flat sprint days, the breakaway often knows the odds are poor, but the combativity prize, sponsor exposure and television time still matter.

What changed after stage 7?

The GC did not change, but the race still moved on.

Merlier added another major sprint contender to the list of winners. Pedersen strengthened green without needing to win. Girmay moved into second in the points classification. Philipsen lost another chance to land a full sprint-stage score. Pogačar stayed safe. Del Toro kept white. Lidl-Trek kept the team lead.

That makes stage 7 a holding day for yellow, but not a nothing day.

The Tour has now settled into two races running at once. The GC riders are waiting for the next terrain that can hurt them. The sprinters are fighting for every flat finish because those chances will become more precious once the route turns back towards the hills and mountains.

The sprint hierarchy remains open, which is why our Tour de France 2026 sprinters guide remains one of the key reference points for the next few days.

Stage 8 next: another sprint chance to Bergerac

Stage 8 takes the Tour from Périgueux to Bergerac over 180.4km. It is officially flat, but there are two category 4 climbs in the second half and another big points opportunity for the green jersey contenders.

That makes it another day where the GC should stay quiet, but the sprint and points battles should stay active. Merlier will want to back up Bordeaux. Philipsen needs a response. Pedersen will keep collecting. Girmay is now close enough to matter. Kooij also needs to come back into the picture after missing the stage 7 top 10.

Our Tour de France 2026 stage 8 preview breaks down the route, timings and sprint contenders.

FAQs

Who is in the yellow jersey after Tour de France 2026 stage 7?

Tadej Pogačar is in the yellow jersey after stage 7. He leads Jonas Vingegaard by 2:42, with Isaac del Toro third at 3:27.

Who won stage 7 of the Tour de France 2026?

Tim Merlier won stage 7 in Bordeaux for Soudal Quick-Step. Søren Wærenskjold was second and Biniam Girmay was third.

Who has the green jersey after stage 7?

Mads Pedersen leads the points classification with 204 points. Biniam Girmay is second on 145, Max Kanter third on 140, Tim Merlier fourth on 134 and Jasper Philipsen fifth on 126.

Who has the polka-dot jersey after stage 7?

Tadej Pogačar leads the mountains classification with 28 points, but Jonas Vingegaard is set to wear the polka-dot jersey on the road because Pogačar is already wearing yellow.

Who has the white jersey after stage 7?

Isaac del Toro leads the young rider classification. He is seven seconds ahead of Juan Ayuso, 28 seconds ahead of Paul Seixas and 54 seconds ahead of Lenny Martinez.

Did the GC change on stage 7?

No major GC change occurred at the top. The main general classification contenders finished safely in the bunch, so Pogačar kept his 2:42 lead over Vingegaard.

What is the next stage of the Tour de France 2026?

Stage 8 runs from Périgueux to Bergerac over 180.4km. It is another likely sprint stage, although two category 4 climbs make it slightly more awkward than a completely flat finish.