Lavaur (France) (AFP)

A tricky wind blew on Friday on the Tour de France, the 7th stage of which went to Belgian Wout Van Aert, winner in Lavaur of his second stage since the start, on the eve of the first day in the Pyrenees.

If the Briton Adam Yates kept his yellow jersey, several contenders lost time in this plain stage, with a bumpy course between Aveyron and Tarn.

Main losers among the contenders for the general classification, the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, third from Millau, the Spaniard Mikel Landa and the Australian Richie Porte paid 1 min 21 sec.

Just like Ecuadorian Richad Carapaz, who had the misfortune of being delayed due to a mechanical incident while he was at the front.

Already winner Wednesday at Privas, Van Aert (25) has won his second success in the 2020 Tour, the third of his career in two participations.

Last year, the Belgian had asserted himself in a sprint on a false flat, in Albi, in the Tarn already, at the end of a stage also marked by the edges.

"I did not think about it this morning, it's a little surprise", reacted the winner of the day, estimating to have led "a perfect sprint" along the barriers.

- Sagan green again -

Neither Peter Sagan, who took off in the home stretch, nor Julian Alaphilippe, unbalanced as he mingled in the fight with Belgian Jasper Stuyven, could not compete.

"I derailed, there was a small collision," regretted Alaphilippe, who remains in a waiting position in the general classification, still placed (15 seconds from Yates) to recover the yellow jersey in the Pyrenees.

"I have rarely done a day so fast", especially underlined the French by reference to the 168 kilometers covered at 47.5 km / h on average.

In Lavaur, Van Aert won clearly ahead of the Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen and the French Bryan Coquard in a sprint deprived of most specialists due to the coup mounted from the first kilometers by the Sagan team, ultimately badly rewarded.

Irish champion Sam Bennett, who wore the green jersey, struggled for a long time before resigning himself.

On arrival, he gave his property to Sagan, his usual holder, although the Slovak, already ahead in the intermediate sprint by the Italian Matteo Trentin, only took 13th place on the stage.

- Van Aert changes roles -

Stretched during the first hour driven at 46 km / h despite the gradients at the start of the course, the race was relaunched after a solitary breakaway by the Belgian Thomas De Gendt, when it encountered a stronger wind in the plain of Castres.

The Ineos team of the outgoing winner, the Colombian Egan Bernal, took the initiative and blew up the field with 35 kilometers from the finish without surprising most of the favorites.

Unlike last year, in the same department of Tarn, Thibaut Pinot's Groupama-FDJ kept its rank.

The French team even revived the pace, like Astana of Colombian Miguel Angel Lopez, with the approach of the outcome of Lavaur which turned in favor of Van Aert, irresistible since the beginning of August: Strade Bianche , Milan-Sanremo, a stage of the Dauphiné, the Belgian time trial championship, two stages of the Tour ... series in progress.

"We are well placed overall and we manage to win stages," said the former three-time cyclo-cross world champion, giving Jumbo his third success in just seven days.

It was only at the end of the stage that the Belgian athlete (1.87 m) changed roles.

"Until then, he insisted, I tried to stay next to Primoz (Roglic) up front."

Saturday, the race tackles the Pyrenees in the 8th stage, 141 kilometers long between Cazères-sur-Garonne and Loudenvielle.

With, as the main course, the port of Balès, the first non-category pass of this Tour whose top is located 36.5 kilometers from the finish.

© 2020 AFP