Merlier secures third stage win in chaotic finale
Tim Merlier of Soudal Quick-Step surged to victory on stage 12 of the 2026 Tour de France, adding a win on the banks of the Saône to his earlier triumphs in Bordeaux and Bergerac. The likely final sprint stage of this year's race was marred by a major crash that took down several riders, including stage 11 winner Søren Wærenskjold and Netcompany Ineos sprinter Dorian Godon.
Merlier emerged from the chaos to beat stage five winner Olav Kooij comfortably, establishing himself as the fastest sprinter in the race. Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Premier Tech, a past multiple stage winner, finished off the pace and appears a shadow of his former self.
Merlier dedicates win to family
Joined by his young son on the podium, Merlier expressed his joy. 'He is still young, but maybe he will remember it, and can watch it later. It’s extra motivation to win for them. This one is a special one, because they were here today,' Merlier said, according to race reports.
Merlier also credited learning from past mistakes. 'Yesterday, I was really focused on the guys who were in the move, and that was the reason I was boxed in. So today, I tried to stay in front of them. I found some space and I needed to calm down and then launch again. I knew it was the kind of finish that suits me.'
Radio problems and communication issues
Merlier, like other riders including Tadej Pogacar, experienced communication problems during the stage. 'We had radio problems. My radio was broken, and I was busy because the other guys were all coming to me,' he said.
Last chance for sprinters before mountains
Stage 12 is expected to be the last opportunity for sprinters in this Tour, with the final stage in Paris based on a hilly circuit through Montmartre. For the rest of the race, they now face suffering through the climbs.
Friday's stage includes the first-category Ballon d'Alsace, the first mountain pass to feature in the Tour in 1905, just 30 kilometres from the finish in Belfort. Although the 9km climb offers a platform for another Pogacar attack, the champion described the stage as 'weird'. 'I think Saturday and Sunday will be bigger days, and tomorrow we need to survive,' Pogacar said.
Vingegaard's podium position under threat
The steep climb of the Ballon is likely to further rattle Jonas Vingegaard's cage, as the number of potential podium-hunting usurpers grows. Fatigue from racing and winning May's Giro d'Italia may soon catch up with the Dane. Remco Evenepoel, Juan Ayuso and Paul Seixas are all within a minute of the double Tour winner, and his customary second place to the uncatchable Pogacar is now under serious threat.
Vingegaard's defence is further weakened by illness that has stricken his key teammate, Matteo Jorgenson, who has been isolated from the team and travels to and from race starts and finishes in a separate vehicle.
Seixas impresses as debutant
Of Vingegaard's three immediate rivals, 19-year-old Seixas has impressed the most. The decline predicted by some after the Tour's opening weekend has not materialised; instead, the debutant is just 29 seconds behind third-placed Evenepoel as the Tour nears the end of week two. His calm racing style and maturity have drawn praise.
'He’s naturally self-confident. He doesn’t get big-headed. When things aren’t going so well, he stays calm, thinks, and bounces back,' said Seixas's friend Cyprien Masson. Decathlon CMA CGM teammate Aurelién Paret-Peintre added: 'He keeps perspective, knows what he wants, how he works best and has a vision for his career. The first time I really got to know him, I was taken aback, because he talked like a 25-year-old.'
Upcoming mountain stages
Over the next three days, both Vingegaard's resolve and that of his rivals will be tested to the extreme, with Saturday's stage through the Vosges to Le Markstein and Sunday's summit finish to the Plateau de Solaison. Pogacar, however, may have designs on them both.
