2hrs
Merlier completes Tour de France hat-trick in chaotic sprint
Tim Merlier won his third stage of the 2026 Tour de France, taking the bunch sprint victory on stage 12 into Chalon-sur-Saône. The Soudal Quick-Step rider overcame a chaotic finale marked by aggressive racing from Lidl-Trek to beat Olav Kooij and Jasper Philipsen.
Were Lidl-Trek's aggressive tactics a brilliant but failed strategy, or just a reckless waste of energy before the sprint?