Tadej Pogacar reclaimed the overall lead in the 2025 Tour de France with a commanding victory on stage seven, conquering the iconic Mur-de-Bretagne finish in a thrilling sprint against rival Jonas Vingegaard.
After narrowly losing the yellow jersey the previous day to Mathieu van der Poel by just one second, Pogacar responded in emphatic fashion. The Slovenian showcased his climbing strength and tactical precision on a finish that brought back memories of 2021, when Van der Poel claimed his first stage win on the same climb. However, this time, the Dutchman couldn’t keep pace and slipped down the general classification standings to fifth.
The 197km route from Saint-Malo to Mur-de-Bretagne featured a trio of categorized climbs in the final 18 kilometers. Early in the stage, veteran Geraint Thomas rolled back the years with a spirited effort in a five-man breakaway. Despite his experience and grit, the 39-year-old former champion was caught on the first of the late climbs, with the peloton never allowing the escapees more than a 1:40 gap.
Ewen Costiou was the last to be reeled in, shortly after the second climb. As the general classification contenders began to jostle for position heading into the decisive ascent, chaos briefly erupted when a crash involving nine riders brought down Pogacar’s team-mate Joao Almeida. The incident impacted UAE Emirates-XRG’s momentum, but Pogacar remained well-supported. Almeida, who had been in the top ten overall, lost ten minutes due to the crash, while Jack Haig was forced to abandon.
On the climb, Pogacar’s acceleration was perfectly timed. He surged ahead with Vingegaard close behind, but in the final meters, Pogacar edged out his rival to take his second stage victory of the Tour and the 101st win of his professional career. British rider Oscar Onley delivered an impressive performance to claim third on the day, two seconds back. The 22-year-old, racing his second Tour de France, moved up to seventh in the general standings.
Further down the order, other key names held their ground. Remco Evenepoel stayed consistent to sit 54 seconds behind Pogacar in second place overall. Kevin Vauquelin sits third, while Vingegaard, after finishing second on the stage, is fourth in the general classification.
The top ten also features Matteo Jorgenson, Florian Lipowitz, Primoz Roglic, and Mattias Skjelmose, all within striking distance as the Tour continues to build toward its first rest day on July 15.
Stage eight is expected to be a calmer affair, with a flat 171.4km route from Saint-Meen-le-Grand to Laval Espace Mayenne. It offers an opportunity for sprinters to shine and the general classification contenders to recover ahead of the more grueling stages to come.
