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Tour de France 2021: Stage 7 route map, profile, prediction and start time today

Stage 7 route map from Vierzon to Le Creusot (Letour)
Stage 7 route map from Vierzon to Le Creusot (Letour)

Stage 7 of the 2021 Tour de France is a brute: the 249km route is the longest stage for 21 years, cutting across the heart of central France from Vierzon to Le Creusot, with a second half which holds five categorised climbs to drain already aching limbs.

The toughest of those is the penultimate climb, rearing its head with around 20km to go: the Signal d’Uchon, a 5.7km drag to the top at average 5.7 per cent gradient. It may not sound too taxing but the numbers mask its true demands because it contains a short descent halfway up. Described by race director Christian Prudhomme as “spicy”, the climb is making its Tour de France debut. It holds bonus seconds at the summit for those first to the top, which should incentivise those riders with the yellow jersey in their sights to attack if they are near the front.

What sort of race will it produce? There is enough kick in the road to eliminate most of the sprinters from contention, and perhaps even enough to shake up the general classification. After such a chaotic start to the Tour, riders who have lost significant time like Ineos duo Richard Carapaz and Geraint Thomas might sense an opportunity to open their climbing legs and make gains. Then again, with a stiff weekend in the Alps to come they will probably be content just to get through a tough day unscathed.

At first glance the profile looks perfect for a rider like Julian Alaphilippe to solo attack up the Signal d’Uchon, but that will only be possible if the breakaway – inevitable on a stage like this – is reeled in. Even then, the man in yellow, Mathieu van der Poel, is unlikely to let a rival get away up the road to secure precious bonus seconds if he can help it.

More likely is that the breakaway is left to go and battle for the stage victory. Of those far enough down the standings to be allowed to break clear at the front, Rafal Majka has the skillset to attack on the uphill and ride home on his own, although his duties protecting UAE Emirates team leader and race favourite Tadej Pogacar may trump aims of a stage win. Thomas De Gendt, Alejandro Valverde and Rui Costa all know how to solo clear on days like this one, while Peter Sagan would be a huge favourite if he can find a way to stick near the front by the final climb.

Could it be a day for a home favourite? Simon Yates has been relatively quiet so far but he is well-suited to attacking on a tough climb with 20km to go. He confirmed before the Tour that his sole focus is hunting for stage wins, and while he might be saving his legs for a hard day in the Alps, he will surely have considered the possibility of being in the mix on stage 7 if the opportunity arises. The wildcard option is Tao Geoghegan Hart, Ineos’s 2020 Giro d’Italia winner who lost significant time on the first stage and could feasibly be sent down the road with the breakaway, although like Yates his best days are more likely to arrive in the Alps or the Pyrenees.

Route map and profile

Stage 7 route map from Vierzon to Le Creusot (Letour)
Stage 7 route map from Vierzon to Le Creusot (Letour)
Tour de France stage 7 profile (letour)
Tour de France stage 7 profile (letour)

Prediction

This is the hardest stage so far to predict, and perhaps the most obvious answer is Peter Sagan. He is no climber but he can get over a category 2 ascent with a handful of breakaway allies and from there he would always be the favourite. But we’ll go for something different: Simon Yates. He is nearly 11 minutes down on the yellow jersey so the overall contenders will be content to let him go down the road in the breakaway, and while he is better suited to steep mountains than rolling hills, he could use the Signal d’Uchon to break clear and dart for home.

Start time

The stage is scheduled to start just after 10am BST and is expected to finish between 5-6pm.

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