Del Toro holds third in Tour de France as Merlier wins stage

Isaac del Toro held onto third place overall and the best young rider's white jersey in the Tour de France following the seventh stage. The stage saw Belgian rider Tim Merlier win a sprinters' duel in a largely transitional 175.1 km route from Hagetmau to Bordeaux, which did not significantly change the general classification. Slovenian Tadej Pogacar continues to lead the race comfortably.

Former French champion Bernard Hinault commented that Tadej Pogacar has effectively "sentenced" the Tour de France but can still find motivation by aiming to help his teammate Isaac del Toro secure second place on the podium in Paris. Hinault suggested this could be a key narrative for the remainder of the Tour, especially after Pogacar's dominant performance on the Tourmalet, which gave him a 2 minute and 42-second lead over Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard.

Del Toro, a debutant in the Tour, sits third overall, 3 minutes and 27 seconds behind his team leader. He has performed consistently in key moments of the race and demonstrated endurance in a three-week event, having finished second in last year's Giro d'Italia. Hinault praised the Mexican rider as a "luxury squire" to Pogacar and believes assisting Del Toro to a podium finish could motivate the Slovenian until the end of the race.

Hinault stated, "The Tour is closed, no one can overshadow him. He proved it on the Tourmalet. But unlike last year, when he seemed bored, this time he has a motivation, to repeat what Greg LeMond and I did, finishing first and second." He added, "With Pogacar's potential, he does what he wants and when he wants. The Tour is a toy in his hands." Hinault anticipates that if the Slovenian showed signs of demotivation in the final stretch last year, this time he will find ways to approach it with more vigor, particularly with Del Toro aiming for the podium.