Friday 10 July – Tour de France stage 7: Hagetmau → Bordeaux (175.1 km)

Route

Stage 7 takes the peloton 175.1 kilometres northward from Hagetmau to Bordeaux. The stage is almost entirely flat, with 850 metres of elevation gain and just one categorised climb. Bordeaux hosts a Tour finish for the 82nd time this year, surpassed only by Paris.

The stage starts neutralised at 13:15 CEST in Hagetmau, a small town in the Landes that serves as a Tour stage start for the very first time. The route passes through Saint-Sever and Mont-de-Marsan, cutting through the pine forests of the Landes, one of the largest continuous coniferous forests in Europe. After around 120 kilometres, the peloton passes through Landiras in the Gironde, one of the areas badly affected by the wildfires of 2022 and a symbol of recovery and reforestation.

At km 137.3, the only categorised climb begins: the Côte de Béguey (1.2 km at 4.4%, Cat. 4). The summit is around 36.6 kilometres from the finish. The road then descends towards the Garonne. The peloton crosses the river at Cadillac via the Pont Simone Veil and then rides over 40 kilometres along the Garonne quays into the heart of Bordeaux.

Final kilometres

After crossing the Pont Simone Veil, around 4.5 kilometres from the finish, a straight approach of 3 kilometres begins along the banks of the Garonne. The finish is set on the Place des Quinconces, one of the largest city squares in Europe, right on the river.

Recent editions

Bordeaux welcomes a Tour finish for the 82nd time in 2026. The previous visit was in 2023. Before that, the city last hosted a finish in 2010 – a gap of thirteen years.

2023 – Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), bunch sprint
2010 – Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia), sprint (stage 18, 198 km from Salies-de-Béarn)
2003 - Servais Knaven (Quick Step Davitamon), 17 km solo)
1999 – Tom Steels (Mapei), sprint
1997 – Erik Zabel (Deutsche Telekom), sprint
1996 – Frédérique Moncassin (GAN), sprint

Eddy Merckx holds the record in Bordeaux with four victories.

Scenarios

Bunch sprint. The Côte de Béguey at 36.6 kilometres from the finish is not selective enough to give breakaway riders a chance. Sprint trains take control of the peloton well before the finish. The final stretch is a straight line, with no corners or technical obstacles.

Local

Bordeaux is the capital of the Gironde department and the fourth-largest city in France. The historic city centre is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2007). The city has a long relationship with the Tour: Bordeaux has previously served as a finish town 81 times, more than any city outside Paris. The Place des Quinconces, the finish of this stage, covers over 12 hectares and is one of the largest city squares in Europe.