Tour de France Stage 7: Dylan Groenewegen outsprints Fernando Gaviria

Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) won stage seven of the Tour de France, dominating a bunch sprint after almost six hours in the saddle. The closing kilometres of the stage were unusually free of crashes meaning there were no major changes in the general classification.

The 231km stage from Fougeres to Chartres saw multiple breakaway attempts, but on a flat route with occasional crosswinds, none seemed likely to stick – not least because the majority were undertaken by lone riders.

The finish was slightly uphill and many were expecting to see Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) add to the two sprint wins he had already secured this week. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) certainly seemed to be among them, gluing himself to the Colombian’s wheel in the hope of securing a third win of his own.  

However, Groenewegen - who won the final stage on the Champs Élysées last year - seemed fresher and more powerful and beat all of his rivals by a sizeable margin.

 After the Champs-Elysées last year, Groenewegen wins in Chartres!
 Après les Champs l'année dernière, Groenewegen s'impose à Chartres !#TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/tNLwPvJn0E

— Le Tour de France (@LeTour) July 13, 2018

Earlier in the day, Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) had sprinted for intermediate bonus seconds to slightly extend his lead in the general classification.