Stage 7 of the Tour de France 2026 gives the sprinters a major chance to take centre stage again, with the race heading 175.1km from Hagetmau to Bordeaux on Friday 10 July.
The riders roll out from Hagetmau at 13:15 CEST, which is 12:15 BST for UK viewers. The finish in Bordeaux is expected between 17:13 and 17:35 CEST, or 16:13 and 16:35 BST. The stage is officially classed as flat, with 850m of elevation gain and just one categorised climb, the Côte de Béguey, before the final run into Bordeaux.
For anyone watching from the UK, the simple advice is this: tune in from around 15:00 BST for the intermediate sprint and final climb build-up, from 15:30 BST for the serious sprint set-up, or from 16:00 BST if you only want the final run into Bordeaux.
The full stage breakdown is in our Tour de France 2026 stage 7 preview, while the wider race structure is covered in our Tour de France 2026 full route guide.
Quick answer: what time does stage 7 start and finish?
Stage 7 starts with the neutralised roll-out in Hagetmau at 13:15 CEST / 12:15 BST. The stage is expected to finish in Bordeaux between 17:13 and 17:35 CEST, which is 16:13 to 16:35 BST.
| Stage 7 detail | Time / information |
|---|---|
| Date | Friday 10 July 2026 |
| Route | Hagetmau to Bordeaux |
| Distance | 175.1km |
| Stage type | Flat |
| Neutralised start | 13:15 CEST / 12:15 BST |
| Expected finish | 17:13-17:35 CEST / 16:13-16:35 BST |
| Best UK time to start watching | 15:00-15:30 BST |
| Essential final-hour window | 15:30-16:35 BST |
| Likely finish type | Bunch sprint |
Tour de France 2026 stage 7 key timings
| Location / point | Distance to finish | Fast schedule | Slow schedule | UK time window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hagetmau neutralised start | 175.1km | 13:15 CEST | 13:15 CEST | 12:15 BST |
| Hagetmau route proper | 175.1km | 13:25 CEST | 13:25 CEST | 12:25 BST |
| Saint-Sever | 166km | 13:37 CEST | 13:38 CEST | 12:37-12:38 BST |
| Mont-de-Marsan | 149.2km | 13:59 CEST | 14:02 CEST | 12:59-13:02 BST |
| Labrit | 118.9km | 14:38 CEST | 14:45 CEST | 13:38-13:45 BST |
| Luxey | 101.2km | 15:01 CEST | 15:11 CEST | 14:01-14:11 BST |
| Sore | 91.1km | 15:15 CEST | 15:25 CEST | 14:15-14:25 BST |
| Saint-Symphorien | 76.8km | 15:33 CEST | 15:45 CEST | 14:33-14:45 BST |
| Landiras intermediate sprint | 54.8km | 16:02 CEST | 16:17 CEST | 15:02-15:17 BST |
| Côte de Béguey | 37.8km | 16:24 CEST | 16:41 CEST | 15:24-15:41 BST |
| Pont Simone Veil | 4.5km | 17:07 CEST | 17:29 CEST | 16:07-16:29 BST |
| Bordeaux finish | 0km | 17:13 CEST | 17:35 CEST | 16:13-16:35 BST |
The official schedule gives three pace scenarios of 46km/h, 44km/h and 42km/h, which is why the final time has a 22-minute window rather than one fixed arrival time.
Best time to watch stage 7 in the UK
The best viewing window depends on how much of the stage you want to see.
| Viewer type | When to tune in UK time | What you should see |
|---|---|---|
| Full-stage viewer | 12:15 BST | Roll-out, early break formation and long chase |
| Green jersey watcher | 15:00 BST | Intermediate sprint at Landiras and final 55km |
| Sprint build-up viewer | 15:30 BST | Côte de Béguey, positioning fight and final approach |
| Final-only viewer | 16:00 BST | Last 30km and sprint trains forming |
| Last-minute viewer | 16:10 BST | Pont Simone Veil, Bordeaux entry and final sprint |
For most viewers, 15:30 BST is the sweet spot. That should catch the Côte de Béguey, the post-climb chase, the approach to Bordeaux and the full sprint set-up.
If the breakaway has a larger gap than expected, starting from 15:00 BST is safer. The intermediate sprint at Landiras comes around 54.8km from the finish and could also matter for the green jersey battle.
For TV and streaming details, see our guide on how to watch Tour de France 2026 in the UK and the wider Tour de France 2026 live stream guide by country.
Why stage 7 should be a sprint
This is one of the clearest sprint days of the 2026 Tour.
The route is flat by Tour standards, with 850m of climbing across 175.1km. The only categorised climb is the Côte de Béguey, which is 1.2km at 4.4% and comes 37.8km from the finish. That is not hard enough to remove the pure sprinters unless the race is already badly stretched by wind, crashes or fatigue.
The bigger challenge is control. Stage 6 to Gavarnie-Gèdre was brutal, and the peloton may have tired legs after the Tourmalet. The GC teams will want calm. The sprint teams will want organisation. The breakaway teams will know this might be their only television time before the bunch brings them back.
That usually means a familiar pattern: early break, long chase, rising tension after the intermediate sprint, then a fight for position from the final 20km.
Stage 7 fits clearly into the group of opportunities listed in our guide to the Tour de France 2026 route’s best days for sprinters.
Photo Credit: GettyIntermediate sprint at Landiras
The intermediate sprint is at Landiras, 54.8km from the finish. It is expected between 16:02 and 16:17 CEST, or 15:02 and 15:17 BST.
This is not just a mid-stage marker. It matters for the points classification. The first rider across the intermediate sprint takes 25 points, with points awarded down to 15th place. The finish in Bordeaux carries a much bigger flat-stage haul, with 70 points for the winner.
That makes stage 7 a major green jersey day. Mads Pedersen has been building his points lead through consistency and harder racing, but Bordeaux is the kind of stage where the pure sprinters need to hit back.
For the wider green jersey context, see our analysis of whether Mads Pedersen can win green at the Tour de France 2026 and our Tour de France 2026 sprinters guide.
Côte de Béguey: when does the final climb come?
The Côte de Béguey comes with 37.8km remaining. It is scheduled between 16:24 and 16:41 CEST, or 15:24 and 15:41 BST. The climb is 1.2km long at 4.4% and is ranked category 4.
It should not decide the stage by itself, but it could change the tone of the finale.
A small breakaway will likely try to use it to stretch the gap. Some teams may briefly lift the pace to make the chase safer. The sprinters’ teams will want their leaders well positioned before and after it, because the road from there into Bordeaux will become increasingly tense.
It is not a climb for the climbers. It is a climb that starts the final phase of a sprint stage.
Photo Credit: GettyThe final run into Bordeaux
The final approach into Bordeaux is where the stage should properly ignite.
The race crosses the Pont Simone Veil with 4.5km to go, expected between 17:07 and 17:29 CEST, or 16:07 and 16:29 BST. The entry into Bordeaux follows shortly afterwards, with the finish expected between 17:13 and 17:35 CEST, or 16:13 and 16:35 BST.
The final kilometres should be fast, nervous and crowded. Sprint teams will be trying to organise their lead-outs. GC teams will still be trying to keep Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and the other overall contenders out of trouble. That mix can make the final 10km more complicated than the stage profile suggests.
Bordeaux usually means sprint prestige. It is a city that carries Tour history, and a win there will matter for every fast man still chasing a first stage victory of the race.
Who should viewers watch?
Olav Kooij is the obvious rider to watch after winning stage 5 in Pau. That victory changed the early sprint picture and gave Decathlon CMA CGM a proven Tour-winning option.
Tim Merlier should be better suited by a clean, flat finish than by the reduced and disrupted sprint in Pau. Jasper Philipsen has Bordeaux history after winning there in 2023. Biniam Girmay, Max Kanter, Mads Pedersen, Milan Fretin and Søren Wærenskjold should also be involved if the sprint is still together.
| Rider | Why stage 7 matters |
|---|---|
| Olav Kooij | Chance to back up his Pau victory |
| Tim Merlier | Pure speed on a cleaner flat stage |
| Jasper Philipsen | Previous Bordeaux winner |
| Biniam Girmay | Needs big points in the green jersey fight |
| Max Kanter | Second in Pau and in form |
| Mads Pedersen | Green jersey leader and always dangerous |
| Søren Wærenskjold | Powerful if the finish becomes messy |
For more on Kooij’s breakthrough, see our piece on why Olav Kooij’s Pau win changes the Tour de France sprint picture.
What does stage 7 mean for the yellow jersey?
On paper, stage 7 should not change the yellow jersey.
Tadej Pogačar took control of the race on stage 6 with his Tourmalet attack and victory at Gavarnie-Gèdre. Stage 7 is much more about risk management. UAE Team Emirates-XRG do not need to chase all day for the sprint. They need to keep Pogačar upright, near the front and out of splits.
That same logic applies to Vingegaard, Evenepoel, Isaac del Toro, Juan Ayuso, Paul Seixas and the other GC riders. The profile is not the danger. The final 20km is.
A flat stage after a mountain stage can look like a reset, but for GC riders it is still a day of concentration. A crash, split or badly timed mechanical can undo the calmest-looking day in the race.
What happened on stage 6?
Stage 6 changed the Tour.
Pogačar attacked on the Col du Tourmalet, won at Gavarnie-Gèdre and moved into the yellow jersey. Vingegaard finished second on the stage but lost a major chunk of time, while Isaac del Toro moved into the white jersey and third overall. Torstein Træen, who had started the day in yellow, lost the race lead, crashed on the Tourmalet descent and later withdrew after being diagnosed with concussion and multiple rib fractures.
That gives stage 7 a different feel. It is not just the day after a mountain stage. It is the day after the race structure changed.
The full stage 6 report is here: Tour de France 2026 stage 6: Tadej Pogačar solos over Tourmalet to win at Gavarnie-Gèdre and take yellow. The climb and finish are explained in our guide to where Gavarnie-Gèdre is and why the summit finish mattered.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Thomas MaheuxCan the breakaway survive?
It would be a surprise.
The stage is too valuable for the sprint teams. Bordeaux is one of the most obvious bunch sprint chances in the first half of the Tour, and teams with Kooij, Merlier, Philipsen, Girmay and Pedersen all have a reason to control the race.
The breakaway’s best hope is that the peloton hesitates after the fatigue of stage 6. If only a couple of teams chase, the early move could hang around longer than expected. But the final 55km from Landiras onwards gives the bunch a long, steady runway to organise.
A breakaway win is possible in theory. A bunch sprint is still the clear expectation.
Stage 7 viewing plan
| Race phase | UK time | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Roll-out and break formation | 12:15-13:00 BST | Early attackers try to get away |
| Mid-stage control | 13:00-15:00 BST | Sprint teams settle into the chase |
| Landiras intermediate sprint | 15:02-15:17 BST | Green jersey points on offer |
| Côte de Béguey | 15:24-15:41 BST | Final categorised climb and start of the finale |
| Final 30km | Around 15:45 BST onwards | Breakaway catch, lead-out positioning |
| Bordeaux run-in | 16:07-16:35 BST | Bridge, city entry and final sprint |
Stage 7 in one sentence
Stage 7 is the Tour’s post-Pyrenees sprint reset, with a 12:15 BST roll-out from Hagetmau, a likely Bordeaux bunch finish between 16:13 and 16:35 BST, and a green jersey battle that should make the final hour worth watching.
FAQs
What time does stage 7 of the Tour de France 2026 start?
Stage 7 starts with the neutralised roll-out from Hagetmau at 13:15 CEST, which is 12:15 BST for UK viewers.
What time will stage 7 finish?
The stage is expected to finish in Bordeaux between 17:13 and 17:35 CEST, or 16:13 and 16:35 BST.
When should I start watching stage 7 in the UK?
Start watching around 15:00 BST if you want the intermediate sprint and full final phase. Start around 15:30 BST for the final climb and sprint build-up. Tune in from 16:00 BST if you only want the final run into Bordeaux.
Is stage 7 a sprint stage?
Yes. Stage 7 is officially classed as flat, with 850m of elevation gain and only one category 4 climb. A bunch sprint is the most likely finish.
Where is the intermediate sprint on stage 7?
The intermediate sprint is at Landiras, 54.8km from the finish. It is expected between 15:02 and 15:17 BST.
What is the only climb on stage 7?
The only categorised climb is the Côte de Béguey, a 1.2km category 4 climb at 4.4%. It comes 37.8km from the finish.
Who are the favourites for stage 7?
The main sprint names are Olav Kooij, Tim Merlier, Jasper Philipsen, Biniam Girmay, Max Kanter and Mads Pedersen. Stage 7 should suit the pure sprinters, but positioning in Bordeaux will be decisive.
