RACE REPORT: When the Tour gives Tim Merlier a clean shot at the finish, the Belgian keeps proving he’s still the fastest man in France. Photos-Video-Results
The Soudal Quick-Step sprinter claimed his third stage victory of the 2026 Tour de France with another devastating burst of speed in Chalon-sur-Saône, overpowering Olav Kooij and Jasper Philipsen after a thrilling finale that featured relentless attacks, a dangerous late breakaway, and a heavy crash in the closing metres.
The victory further cements Merlier’s status as the dominant sprinter of this year’s Tour—and perhaps came on the final genuine sprint opportunity before the race heads into the Vosges Mountains.
Sprinters Had One Last Chance
With the mountains looming, Stage 12 looked tailor-made for the fast men.
The largely flat route to Chalon-sur-Saône offered one final opportunity for the sprint teams before the terrain tilted skyward, and every team with a quick finisher knew exactly what was at stake.
That didn’t stop the attackers from trying.
The opening kilometres saw wave after wave of aggressive moves as riders like Kasper Asgreen, Matej Mohorič, Joshua Tarling, Jonas Abrahamsen and Mike Teunissen all searched for the day’s escape.
None of them found daylight.
Instead, after roughly 25 kilometres, it was once again French wildcard Baptiste Veistroffer who slipped clear on his own.
Veistroffer Goes Again
The Lotto-Intermarché rider has become one of the Tour’s most persistent attackers, and Stage 12 was no exception.
Veistroffer quickly built a lead of around two minutes before the peloton increased the tempo approaching the intermediate sprint.
There, Green Jersey leader Mads Pedersen continued to strengthen his grip on the points classification by beating Jasper Philipsen and Tim Merlier in the sprint for the remaining bonus points behind the breakaway.
After the sprint, Veistroffer finally gained company.
Damiano Caruso, Mattéo Vercher and Ewen Costiou bridged across, briefly creating a four-man escape.
The peloton, however, never relaxed.
Alpecin-Deceuninck, Soudal Quick-Step and NSN Cycling kept the gap tightly controlled at under a minute, and with 60 kilometres remaining the break began to fracture.
Veistroffer and fellow Frenchman Costiou forged ahead before Veistroffer once again rode clear alone.
Suddenly… It’s Race On
With just one rider left to chase, the sprint teams appeared comfortably in control.
Then Quinn Simmons blew the race apart.
The American launched a powerful acceleration before teammate Mathias Vacek carried the momentum forward. Within moments, fourteen riders had escaped and suddenly the script had completely changed.
This wasn’t a harmless move.
Among those making the split were Filippo Ganna, Florian Vermeersch, Mauro Schmid, Per Strand Hagenes, Georg Steinhauser, Davide Ballerini, Robert Stannard, Lewis Askey, Alex Kirsch and Fred Wright—more than enough horsepower to threaten the sprinters’ ambitions.
Soudal Quick-Step had missed the move entirely and immediately threw every available rider into the chase.
Their effort paid off.
With 24 kilometres remaining, the dangerous group was back in the fold.
Pogacar stayed cool and out of trouble
Simmons Refuses to Quit
The attacking wasn’t over.
On the final classified climb—the Côte de Montagny-lès-Buxy (2.5 km at 3.9%)—Lidl-Trek kept the pressure high.
Derek Gee briefly opened a gap before Quinn Simmons attacked again, producing one of the day’s memorable moments by reaching across the barriers to exchange a high-five with his father while still driving the pace at the front.
It perfectly summed up Simmons’ all-in approach.
He wasn’t done.
Attack followed attack as Mads Pedersen, Mattias Skjelmose and Kasper Asgreen all tried to avoid another bunch sprint, but the pace remained so high that nothing could stick.
By five kilometres to go, the attacks had finally run out of steam.
The sprinters would decide it after all.
Crash Mars the Finale
Alpecin-Deceuninck eventually assembled its lead-out train, with Mathieu van der Poel delivering another trademark final kilometre for Jasper Philipsen.
Then disaster struck.
Just behind Van der Poel’s wheel, Fernando Gaviria crashed heavily, triggering a chain reaction that brought down several riders. Jenno Berckmoes appeared among the worst affected, while the Colombian came away badly battered.
Fortunately, the principal sprint favourites all stayed upright.
Merlier was briefly delayed by the incident, while Olav Kooij also lost momentum after clipping Gaviria during the chaos.
Merlier Finds Another Gear
Despite the disruption, Jasper Philipsen looked perfectly positioned as Van der Poel peeled away.
For a moment, it seemed the Belgian finally had the ideal lead-out.
Then Tim Merlier exploded past.
Launching with impeccable timing, the European champion surged around Philipsen and powered clear to secure his third stage victory of this year’s Tour.
Kooij recovered brilliantly from the chaos to snatch second place after coming from well back, while Philipsen had to settle for third despite another outstanding lead-out from Van der Poel.
Tour de France 2026 Stage 12 Last Km Video
With the mountains now waiting, the pure sprinters may have just watched their final opportunity disappear.
Merlier made absolutely certain he left the flat stages with one more trophy in his collection.
Tour de France 2026 Stage 12 Results
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