2025 Tour de France Stage 7 Preview: Mathieu van der Poel Revisits Emotional Win Location at Mûr-de-Bretagne, yet Questions Arise on Pogacar's Invincibility
Tadej Pogačar Wins Stage 7 of the 2025 Tour de France, Regaining the Yellow Jersey
The 2025 Tour de France reached an exciting milestone on July 11, as Stage 7 concluded with a thrilling finish. The 201.5 km course featured a challenging double ascent of the steep Mûr-de-Bretagne climb in the last 20 kilometers.
In a closely contested race, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) emerged victorious, winning the stage with a powerful burst on the final slope. His victory marked his return to the yellow jersey and the overall race lead. Jonas Vingegaard (Team Jumbo-Visma) finished closely in second place, while Oscar Onley took third.
The stage's lineup included the main general classification contenders, such as Pogačar, Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, Kevin Vauquelin, and others. Mathieu van der Poel was less favored for this specific stage, given his fatigue.
Pogačar's win reflects the key battle for overall victory, which appears to be between him, Vingegaard, and Evenepoel. Remco Evenepoel moved to second overall, thanks to his impressive time trial victory in Caen, his favored discipline.
The stage 7 sprint will take place at Plédran, km. 139.2. The final 2km of Stage 7, Mûr-de-Bretagne, averages 7%. This climb has been a challenge for the racers, with former winners including Dan Martin in 2018 and Alexis Vuillermoz a decade ago.
Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) and Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) could also have a chance for a French stage win. Remco Evenepoel, a two-time Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner, is more than capable over a punchy final.
Van der Poel, who won a maiden victory at the Tour de France in Mûr-de-Bretagne four years ago and wore the yellow jersey for the first time, will be looking to bounce back after the disappointment of the stage 5 time trial in Caen, where he lost significant time to Pogačar. Jonas Vingegaard will also be aiming to recover from his setback in Caen.
The broadcast schedule for Stage 7 of the Tour de France varies by country. Viewers can catch the race on ITV4/ITVX (UK), TNT Sports/Discovery (UK), NBC/Peacock (US), Flobikes (Canada), and SBS/SBS On Demand (Australia). For those abroad, a VPN, such as NordVPN, can unblock usual streams to ensure viewers don't miss a minute of the action.
Van der Poel's emotional win in 2021 was dedicated to his grandfather, French racing icon Raymond Poulidor, who never wore the yellow jersey. In the race one day prior to his emotional win, van der Poel's Alpecin team wore a jersey honouring Poulidor's Mercier team. Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), who sits fourth overall, is the most likely French rider to upset the superstars in the GC battle.
Stage 7 includes three categorized climbs: Côte du village de Mûr-de-Bretagne (cat. 4), Mûr-de-Bretagne (cat. 3) twice, and a final ascent to the finish. The race begins in Saint-Malo, with the stage 7 finish at Carhaix-Plouguer.
Tadej Pogačar's victory in Stage 7 of the 2025 Tour de France not only earned him the stage win but also the yellow jersey, putting him back in contention for the overall victory. The challenging Mûr-de-Bretagne climb, a renowned obstacle in the Tour de France, added an extra layer of excitement to the race, reflecting the fierce competition among general classification contenders such as Pogačar, Remco Evenepoel, and Jonas Vingegaard.
