The peloton rides along the beach. Alamy Stock Photo

Stage 6 winner Healy comes crashing down to earth at Tour de France

Irish rider got caught up in incident along with Eddie Dunbar six kilometres from the finish.

TADEJ POGACAR WON stage 7 of the Tour de France today to retake the overall lead with a trademark swoop up the short, steep slope of the Mur de Bretagne.

But a crash among the favourites’ group six kilometres from the finish led to Irish pair Ben Healy and Eddie Dunbar coming off their bikes.

Both were able to get back on the saddle but Healy, who won yesterday’s stage after a daring breakaway, had to make do with 26th while Dunbar, who was fourth on Thursday, was back in 73rd.

Visma’s Jonas Vingegaard was second, right on Pogacar’s wheel at the line with Oscar Onley third after that late nine-rider pile up marred the finale.

Pogacar, the defending champion, gained four sec on Vingegaard with 10 bonus seconds to the Dane’s six.

In the overall standings, Remco Evenepoel is second overall 54 seconds off first as he came sixth on the day, two seconds adrift.

French starlet Kevin Vauquelin continues his bright run in third at 1min 11sec while two time champion Vingegaard is fourth at 1min 17.

The overnight leader Mathieu van der Poel rounds out the top five at 1min 29sec after wilting on the final climb, scene of his 2021 coming of age win and his first yellow jersey.

The day’s action revolved around two ascents of the Mur de Bretagne, a 2km climb at an average of 6 precent, that has been written into Tour de France folklore.

With the Tour returning to Brittany after a four years gap, huge festive crowds packed the villages and pretty country lanes as the temperature hit 30 Celsius (86 Fahrenheit).

The 179 remaining riders left Saint Malo on the north-west coast passing the magnificent Sillon beach with its granite sea-wall and chic sea-front buildings.

Fewer of them will take the start line for Saturday’s flat run to Laval, with doubts over key Pogacar teammate Joao Almeida and the Colombian Santiago Buitrago.

– © AFP 2025

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