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Stage 7 of the Tour de France is set to be a Breton classic.
The hilly profile will sap the peloton’s legs before a big bust-up on the notorious Mûr de Bretagne.
The stage loops over the Mûr two times in the final 20km in a rehash of the course used when Le Tour last finished here in 2021. Mathieu van der Poel won that stage ahead of Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič with a sensational 800-meter surge for the line that moved him into the maillot jaune.
MVDP’s emotional 2021 victory proved the Mûr is a test of poise and patience as much as outright power. The grinding 2km climb isn’t hard enough to simply rely on riding rivals out of the wheels. Only a laser-guided watt-bomb works here.
Will Van der Poel, Rogla, and Pogi resume their 2021 “Battle of Bretagne??
Here’s hoping.
