Merlier wins sprint finish on stage 12 of Tour
Belgium's Tim Merlier won a chaotic sprint finish to take stage 12 of the Tour de France, his third stage victory of this year's race, holding off compatriot Jasper Philipsen after coming from behind in the closing metres. The result came after a late crash involving Colombia's Fernando Gaviria brought down several riders, including stage 11 winner Soren Waerenskjold, though Merlier avoided being caught up in it. The win reinforces Merlier's status as one of the fastest sprinters in this year's Tour, on a day that marked one of the last clear opportunities for sprinters before the race turns to hillier and mountainous terrain.
The stage, run from Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours to Chalon-sur-Saone, was unsettled by heavy rain and shifting winds, with various attacks failing to stick. Merlier's win takes his tally to three stages this year, following earlier victories in stages seven and eight, while rivals Philipsen and Girmay, who share 13 Tour stage wins between them, are still waiting for their first success of this year's race. In the general classification, Tadej Pogacar remains firmly in the yellow jersey, 3 minutes 36 seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard, while Mads Pedersen leads the green jersey competition by 40 points over Biniam Girmay.
In short
- Tim Merlier wins stage 12 sprint, his third stage win this year
- Late crash involving Fernando Gaviria took down several riders
- Pogacar still leads overall by 3:36 over Vingegaard
Explained simply
The Tour de France is the world's most prestigious annual cycling race. The event takes place over three weeks and is divided into separate stages, with each stage representing a day's racing across a different route. Riders compete both for victory in individual stages and for overall victory across the entire three weeks.
Professional cyclists are specialists in different types of racing. Sprinters thrive in high-speed finishes on flat stages, whilst climbers are better suited to mountainous terrain. This means a rider's prospects change as the Tour moves from flatter to steeper routes.
The Tour's route typically features flatter stages in the first week and progressively more mountainous terrain in the second and third weeks. This structure means sprinters have greater opportunities to win stages early in the race but face increasingly limited chances as the event moves towards the mountains.