The mother of all punchy finishes may be exaggerated, but there’s no denying that this is a finale that captures the imagination. Since its Tour de France debut in 2011, the Mûr-de-Bretagne has hosted four stage finishes. Cadel Evans (2011), Alexis Vuillermoz (2015), Dan Martin (2018) and Mathieu van der Poel (2021) each took a win. The Dutchman now has the chance to become the first rider to triumph twice on the Mûr in Le Tour.
To be honest, stage 7’s parcours doesn’t offer much of a challenge — it’s all about the finale. But that finale boasts all the ingredients for an electrifying showdown.
With 20 kilometres remaining, the drumroll begins on a 1.6-kilometre climb at 4.1%. That leads almost seamlessly into the first ascent of the Mûr-de-Bretagne: 500 metres at 10.1%, followed by 500 metres at 9.5%, then 500 metres at 5.5%, and a final 500 metres at 2.4%. Over its full 2-kilometre length, the average gradient sits at 6.9%.
From the summit, there are still 15.3 kilometres to go. The riders descend to a short climb of 1.3 kilometres at 6.4%, before a rolling 8-kilometre descent gives way to a false flat of 2 kilometres. That leads to the final ascent of the Mûr-de-Bretagne: 2 kilometres long, with the first half again doing the most damage.
The key question ahead of the stage is whether the winner will emerge from the breakaway or the bunch. Put differently: which team stands to gain by chasing? Pogacar is unlikely to be keen on reclaiming the yellow jersey so soon, potentially paving the way for a break to go all the way
Favourites 7th stage 2025 Tour de France
*** Thibau Nys, Wout van Aert, Alex Aranburu, Romain Grégoire
** Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel, Jonas Vingegaard, Kévin Vauquelin
* Julian Alaphilippe, Marc Hirschi, Magnus Cort, Jenno Berckmoes, Jhonatan Narváez
Another interesting read: route 7th stage 2025 Tour de France.
Tour de France 2025, stage 7: routes & profiles
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