Belgian sprinter Tim Merlier claimed victory on the 12th stage of the Tour de France on Thursday, crossing the line first in Chalon-sur-Saône, a city in the Burgundy region of eastern France, to complete a hat-trick of stage wins in this year's race. The Soudal-Quick Step rider edged out Dutchman Olav Kooij and fellow Belgian Jasper Philipsen in a chaotic sprint finish that was marred by a crash in the final metres. The 179-kilometre stage began at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, a motorsport venue in central France that hosted Formula 1 grands prix between 1991 and 2008.
The finish was disrupted when Colombian sprinter Fernando Gaviria clipped a rear wheel and went down, bringing several other riders with him, including stage 11 winner Soren Waerenskjold of Norway. Merlier, who had been boxed in and finished only 15th the previous day, navigated the chaos to find space and launch his sprint. Kooij, who had won stage five, was pushed into second place for the second consecutive day, and later admitted he had been unable to open up his sprint until the final three pedal strokes — too late to challenge the Belgian. Alpecin-Deceuninck once again attempted to deliver Philipsen for the win, but Merlier proved too strong.
Earlier in the stage, French rider Baptiste Veistroffer, who had been recognised as the most combative rider of the first week, launched a solo breakaway and built a lead of around two minutes. He was eventually joined by three other riders, but the group fragmented as the peloton tightened its grip. A counter-attack with 35 kilometres remaining saw 14 riders briefly go clear, but they were reeled in with 24 kilometres to go, setting up the bunch sprint.
In the overall classification, Slovenian reigning champion Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates retained the yellow jersey, finishing safely in the peloton. He holds a lead of three minutes and 36 seconds over two-time former champion Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark, with Belgian Remco Evenepoel a further 30 seconds back in third. Thursday's victory was Merlier's sixth Tour de France stage win in total, adding to one in 2021 and two in 2025. The 33-year-old, who also claimed a hat-trick of stages at the Giro d'Italia two years ago, celebrated with his young son at his side.
The 13th stage on Friday, running from Dole to Belfort — the longest of this 113th edition — features a largely flat profile before a final climb of the Ballon d'Alsace, a mountain in the Vosges range in northeastern France, which is expected to favour attackers and may offer sprinters their last realistic opportunity to contest a stage before the Tour's traditional finale on the Champs-Élysées in Paris next Sunday.