Widar drops out of GC in queen stage of Giro Next Gen won by Novák: Gruel wins in Occitanie, Prodhomme takes overall title

Stage 7 was the moment for the big general classification contenders. It was the queen stage, nearly 4,000 meters of climbing across 163 kilometers, on constantly undulating terrain. The main course, however, came in the finale: the final climb up to Prato Nevoso also served as the stage finish. If anyone still had hopes of taking the leader’s jersey from Luke Tuckwell, this was likely their last real chance.

Eleven riders broke away right from the start in Bra, but they were later joined by points classification leader Aubin Sparfel (Decathlon AG2R) and Pavel Novák (MBH Bank Ballan). The latter was a notable addition: the 20-year-old Czech was sitting 11th overall, just 2 minutes and 30 seconds behind the Australian leader. That’s why Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Lotto started working to keep the breakaway within reach.

In the final stretch, Novák knew he had to rely on himself, so the climber pushed on alone, only Sparfel managed to stay on his wheel for a while. But on the descent, the Frenchman suffered a puncture, forcing the Czech rider to continue solo. Behind him, it was Visma | Lease a Bike and Lidl-Trek setting the pace, not Lotto. That’s because Widar, wearing the polka dot jersey, was suddenly reported to be well off the back. The top favorite had to chase, with no clear explanation at first.

Later reports suggested that a crash might have been the cause of the young Belgian climber’s issues, which effectively took him out of contention for the overall win. Meanwhile, on the slopes of Prato Nevoso, the lone Novák was still two minutes ahead of the peloton, but the pink jersey was out of reach for him. Jørgen Nordhagen looked strong, and his team was doing an excellent job for the Norwegian leader.

Tim Rex was the last man standing for Visma, but even before it was Nordhagen’s turn, Adria Pericas launched an attack. The Spaniard from UAE Gen Z went all-out and immediately opened up a solid gap. But up front, Novák was still powering ahead and didn’t lose time to the group of favorites. His first chaser managed to gain about 30 to 40 seconds on the GC group, but wasn’t closing in on the Czech much faster than that.

Then Jakob Omrzel sensed the danger and attacked. The young Slovenian was second in the general classification, and only Nordhagen and Tuckwell could follow. But the pink jersey began to struggle, and Nordhagen saw his chance. He accelerated and dropped Omrzel. Novák took the stage win, but the Norwegian caught Pericas just before the line to claim second. Tuckwell held on by just enough to keep the pink jersey ahead of Omrzel.

In France, after the queen stage to Luz Ardiden, it was time for another mountain stage. The Portet d’Aspet was on the menu, along with the long Col de la Core and the Col de Latrape. A group of nine breakaway riders stood little chance in the short stage, as much was still at stake behind overall leader Nicolas Prodhomme. After the penultimate climb, the breakaway was already caught, leaving it to the GC contenders on the final climb.

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale kept the pace high for their French yellow jersey wearer, but some rivals saw their chance. Jan Castellon was the first to take a gamble. The young Spaniard had impressed in Friday’s mountain stage and immediately opened a gap. Davide Piganzoli (Polti VisitMalta) couldn’t get away from Prodhomme, while the white jersey wearer was given space by the French team.

Castellon crested the final climb first, but there were still 30 kilometers to go. On the descent, the young Caja Rural - Seguros RGA rider stood no chance against the larger chase group and was quickly reeled in. Fellow Spaniard Carlos García Pierna (Burgos) also tried to attack but was given no space. AG2R still had Andrea Vendrame in the group, so Prodhomme worked at the front of the peloton to keep things together.

Around 30 riders reached the finish in Saint-Girons together. The French team kept perfect control to ensure a sprint finish. A late attack by Jardi-Christiaan van der Lee (EF Education – EasyPost) was neutralized, and then it was time for the fast men. Vendrame was challenged by Groupama-FDJ, whose lead-out man Thibaud Gruel went all the way and beat both his own sprinter and Vendrame to take the stage win.