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Tour de France 2025 - Stage 7: Saint-Malo to Guerlédan (Mûr-de-Bretagne)

Tadej Pogačar won his second stage of the 112th Tour de France on stage 7 to Mûr-de-Bretagne, reclaiming the yellow jersey. Jonas Vingegaard finished second and is now 1 minute 17 seconds behind the Slovenian overall.
Published on 7/11/2025 by Johnny
Tadej Pogačar in Rainbow

Pogačar Blazes to Stage 7 Victory on Mur-de-Bretagne and Reclaims Yellow

The 7th stage, which featured a double ascent of the iconic Mur-de-Bretagne, delivered on its high expectations. In the final meters of the climb, a group of seven riders approached the finish together. Tadej Pogačar launched a powerful sprint 200 meters from the line, with Jonas Vingegaard the only rider able to follow. However, the Dane could not threaten the Slovenian. Vingegaard finished with the same time, while Oscar Onley crossed the line in third, two seconds behind.

Van der Poel Out of Contention

Mathieu van der Poel, the 2021 winner of the Mur-de-Bretagne stage and the yellow jersey holder, struggled on this stage. The efforts from Thursday’s breakaway clearly took a toll. The Dutchman lost contact with the leaders during the first ascent of the Mur-de-Bretagne and ultimately crossed the line 1:20 down. Pogačar now leads Remco Evenepoel by 54 seconds in the overall standings. The Slovenian also regained the green jersey lead.

Pogačar: “The Day Went Perfectly”

“I’m really happy with the result and the win. Everything went almost perfectly, except for Almeida’s crash before the final climb. I hope he’s okay—if not, this victory is for him,” Pogačar told organizers after the stage.

UAE and Alpecin controlled much of the peloton throughout the day. Pogačar explained: “Van der Poel and I know this finish well. We both wanted to win on this iconic climb, but I guess he spent too much energy yesterday. The day went exactly to plan.”

Almeida’s Crash Complicated UAE’s Plans

Joao Almeida crashed 6 km from the finish, leaving UAE Emirates with less firepower to control the pace. “The team worked great; everyone did their job perfectly. It was a hot day, there was no early break, so we had to ride fast and used a lot of energy. Tim brought me to the base of the climb, and without Joao, I had to finish it off myself. Luckily, everything went well,” said Pogačar, once again posing in the yellow jersey. “I hope I get two quieter days now,” he added.

Roglič Moves Up to Ninth

Primož Roglič was not in the front group, finishing 16th, 21 seconds behind Pogačar. He now sits ninth overall, over three minutes back. His Red Bull teammate Florian Lipowitz had the same stage time. “The start was fast again. Mur-de-Bretagne? It felt better than in 2021, and the sensations were better. I didn’t want to think about 2021—every race is new. The fans were amazing. It was an honor to experience this,” Roglič summarized. Speaking of the next two days, he added: “Expect the worst, and maybe it will be easier.”

How the Stage Unfolded

The opening 55 km were full of attacks, particularly from Visma Lease a Bike (van Aert, Campenaerts, Benoot), but UAE Emirates made sure that all attempts by their main rivals were neutralized.

Five-Man Breakaway

After 50 km, a five-man breakaway formed, featuring veteran and 2018 Tour winner Geraint Thomas. He was joined by Alex Baudin, Marco Haller, Ewen Costiou, and Ivan Cortina. UAE Emirates XRG and Alpecin-Deceuninck controlled the chase, keeping the gap under two minutes.

Evenepoel Momentarily Delayed

About 50 km from the finish, UAE riders raised the tempo at the front. Around 40 km to go, Haller dropped from the break. Shortly after, Remco Evenepoel lost over 30 seconds due to a quick nature break but quickly rejoined the peloton. The breakaway continued working well together, holding a gap of around one minute.

Van der Poel Struggles on the First Mur

At the start of the first ascent to Mur-de-Bretagne (1.6 km at 3.9%), Visma took the lead, reducing the gap quickly. Thomas dropped from the breakaway, and on the steeper final part (2 km at 7.1%), only Costiou remained ahead. By the top of the climb, the gap had shrunk to just 20 seconds, and Van der Poel briefly lost contact with the peloton.

Crash Before the Final Climb

With 6 km to go, a crash disrupted preparations for the final ascent, involving Ben Healy, Joao Almeida, Enric Mas, Jack Haig, and Santiago Buitrago. Pogačar was momentarily behind but seemed to wait for news about Almeida’s condition.

Evenepoel Without Support

Tim Wellens brought Pogačar to the front just before the climb. With 1.5 km to go, Evenepoel took the lead for about 500 meters, gesturing for Pogačar to work, but the Slovenian declined. At 800 meters to go, Jhonatan Narvaez set the pace, and the final 200 meters belonged to Pogačar, who sealed a decisive win.

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