Tim Merlier of Soudal-QuickStep powered to victory in stage 3 of the Tour de France, a 178.3 km flat stage from Valenciennes to Dunkerque.
The Belgian sprinter beat Lidl-Trek’s Jonathan Milan in a tight photo-finish, earning his second Tour stage win and his first since 2021. Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) took third amid a chaotic finale.
Crashes defined the stage, disrupting the sprinters’ plans. Green jersey holder Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) abandoned after colliding with Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) at the Isbergues intermediate sprint. More crashes in the final kilometers took out Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora), and TotalEnergies’ Emilien Jeannière, who hit the barriers 300 meters from the line.
Merlier stayed sharp despite the chaos. Without a full leadout, he followed Milan’s wheel in the last 150 meters, timing his bike throw perfectly to win by a fraction.
“It was a crazy finish,” Merlier said. “My team kept me up front, and I gave it all in the sprint.”
No breakaway formed, with the peloton saving energy after a tough opening weekend. Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates) grabbed the only King of the Mountains point at Mont Cassel, claiming the polka dot jersey.
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) kept the yellow jersey, while Milan took the green jersey from Philipsen.
Merlier wins by an inch after 178km 😮🔥
Tim Merlier executed a sublime final sprint to pip Jonathan Milan to victory on Stage 3 at the Tour de France.
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🇫🇷 #TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/SmgnvJgDgw— Velon CC (@VelonCC) July 7, 2025
