Stage 7 MILLAU>LAVAUR - It's Not Easy Being Green.

Stage seven and the Couch Peloton settled in for some FriYAY cycling action as the riders steeled themselves for le weekend of racing in the Pyrenees.

This promised to be a classic sprint stage - not much action, the peloton delivers the fast men to the last couple of hundred metres and classic sprint. Otherwise known as boring.

Bora-Hansgrohe had other ideas launching an attack near the start of the race that caught everyone by surprise, leaving the likes of Caleb Ewan, Elia Viviani, Giacomo Nizzolo and Alexander Kristoff socially distanced.

Bora had a simple plan – get Peter Sagan back in green and it paid off with Peter Sagan picking up the points.

The fact Sam Bennett was in the green jersey caused a lot of confusion for commentators used to seeing Sagan in the maillot verte. Is it Peter Bennett or Sam Sagan? Quelle surprise the French TV motos didn’t take long to find Thibaut Pinot.

Back in the Plat du Tour kitchen Guillaume Brahimi made a twice-bakedcheese souffle with Roquefort cream. Brahimi gathered around the Couch Peloton told the legend of the blue cheese.

One day a young fellow was eating sheep cheese and bread in his cave and spotted a pretty woman in the distance and went after her.

Some months later he returned to his cave and found the cheese he left on the table had gone mouldy but ate it anyway as any hungry lad would do et voila the famous Roquefort cheese was born.

Former Commonwealth Games champ Rochelle Gilmour was back in the SBS studio with Tomo and Robbie and later retired cyclist Michael Rogers went old school phoning in instead of via Zoom from France. In fact, Rogers is so old school he called from a pay phone, with a phone card purchased from the Tabac.

Mattie discussed with Robbie and Bridie working the night shift commentating and getting sleep during the day. He says he has cardboard shutters at Chateau Keeno. Man, you need an upgrade!

Back to the race and the winds were seriously picking up. Echelons formed and according to Mattie, “The flags are having the thread ripped from them”. At one stage the riders looked like they were being chased by a dust storm.

Wind, dust it was apparent Bora had blown the race apart. For a flat stage this was anything but boring, largely driven by Bora supporting Sagan to get back into green.

Come on, you know the song.

The attention of the pretend caravan of commentary team turned to the beautiful churches, monasteries and convents of the area. Bridie said her favourite nuns were the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. Well, there go, you learn something every day. Which gave me the idea, a GC competition for the various orders of nuns.

Out on the course Thomas De Gendt got sick of sitting in the peloton and ‘Thomas De Tank Engine’, as he is also known, went freestyle off the front for 60km.

De Gendt is a joy to watch when he’s out on his own. He’s the only rider who sets his own pace, launches attacks against himself and then reels himself back in.

And it should also be noted Thomas De Gendt isn’t a pure sprinter, a climber or anything, he just looks like someone who loves riding a bike and pushing himself as far as he can go.

It’s a Friday and no Friday during Le Tour would be complete without the Troll DJ standard bearer of ‘Movin’ Right Along’.

Back on the road and Sagan looked like the older sibling who lent Bennett the green jersey for a hot date but wanted it back right away.

Groupama-FDJ, Astana and the Murder Hornets took control at the front of the peloton leaving Ineos looking like they were riding for relevance. In contrast to the past two days this looked like proper racing.

Sagan looked the favourite to take the stage but a mechanical saw him finish back in thirteenth place behind a triumphant Murder Hornet Wout Van Aert who notched up his second win at this Tour.