RONCHAMP, FRANCE (REUTERS) - Tadej Pogacar extended his overall lead in the Tour de France when he won the seventh stage, a 176.3km ride between Tomblaine and the top of the Super Planche des Belles Filles on Friday (July 8).

The two-time defending champion from Slovenia pipped last year's runner-up, Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark, to the line, at the end of a punishing ascent with gradients going over 20 per cent at times in a final kilometre raced on dusty roads.

Primoz Roglic, the 2020 runner-up, took third place, 12 seconds behind.

Overall, Pogacar leads Vingegaard by 35 seconds with Britain's Geraint Thomas sitting in third place, one minute and 10 seconds off the pace.