Tim Merlier Claims Third Tour de France 2026 Stage Win After Crash-Marred Sprint

KUALA LUMPUR, JULY 2026 – Belgian cyclist Tim Merlier strengthened his position as the leading sprinter of the 2026 Tour de France by winning Stage 12 following a chaotic finale marked by a major crash near the finish line.

The Soudal Quick-Step rider completed the 179.1-kilometre route from the Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours to Chalon-sur-Saône ahead of Dutch sprinter Olav Kooij of Decathlon CMA CGM and fellow Belgian Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Premier Tech.

Merlier remained clear of a pile-up around 400 metres from the finish before accelerating through an opening in the reduced group. The crash brought down several riders, including Fernando Gaviria, Stage 11 winner Søren Wærenskjold and Dorian Godon.

The victory completed a hat-trick of stage wins for Merlier in this year’s race. The 33-year-old had previously won sprint finishes in Bordeaux and Bergerac, taking his career total to six Tour de France stage victories.

Merlier faced communication problems during the stage after his race radio stopped functioning. However, he remained near the front during the decisive kilometres and managed to find enough space to launch his final sprint.

He said he had adjusted his approach after becoming trapped behind other riders during the previous stage. On Thursday, he focused on maintaining a forward position before timing his acceleration toward the finish.

The stage had featured several unsuccessful breakaway attempts. Baptiste Veistroffer initially attacked alone before being joined by three other riders, while a later group of 14 tried to escape inside the final 35 kilometres. The peloton eventually caught the attackers with approximately 24 kilometres remaining.

Tour leader Tadej Pogačar finished safely and retained the yellow jersey. The Slovenian continued to hold an overall advantage of more than three and a half minutes over two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard.

The competition for the green points jersey tightened following Merlier’s victory. Mads Pedersen remained the leader with 357 points, followed by Biniam Girmay with 317, Philipsen with 311 and Merlier with 307.

Stage 12 was regarded as one of the final clear opportunities for the Tour’s specialist sprinters before the race returned to more demanding terrain. The next stage toward Belfort features the first-category Ballon d’Alsace climb, located approximately 30 kilometres from the finish.

With mountain stages approaching, attention will return to the general classification battle as Pogačar attempts to protect his race lead and his main rivals search for opportunities to reduce the gap.