Tour de France: Tim Merlier wins sprint skirmish on stage 12 ahead of major pileup

After missing out in Nevers, Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) proved that he's the top sprinter of this year's Tour de France, speeding to victory in Chalon-sur-Saône, his third triumph of the race.

The Belgian will likely miss out to Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) in the fight for the green jersey, but nobody could stop him from winning here as he freestyled the final, jumping from Milan Fretin's (Cofidis) wheel to surge home first.

Fretin and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) had launched the sprint with 200 metres to go, but Merlier blasted past the pair of them as Pedersen, who started the sprint by Merlier's side, faded to ninth.

Stage 5 winner Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) and another green jersey contender, Biniam Girmay (NSN), came around the outside edges of the group, though neither could outpace Merlier. Instead, Kooij edged out Philipsen for second, while Girmay took fourth ahead of Fretin.

"[My son] is still young but maybe he will remember it, and he can watch it later," Merlier said after win number 75 of his career.

"It's extra motivation to win for them. This one is a special one, they were here today. It not easy to win just on the day they are here, so I'm really happy with it."

It hadn't all been plain sailing during the 179.1km ride, however.

"We had radio problems My radio was broken, and I was busy with the radio because the other guys were all coming to me, I was busy with the radio, there was an attack of 27 riders or something, so I didn't know," he said.

"Then we pass the little climb and then I saw it was only one more [climb] to go, I suffered not so hard like the other days, I wanted to pass the other one, and the ones I passed in a good position, and the last one with good motivation.

"Jasper Stuyven got a fat tire. I think he was not sure anymore to do the leadout. I said to stay calm, the tire sealed and I think the communication was much better between us today. I helped him to stay calm and he did it, and it was a good day.

"The sprint was a difficult one also yesterday. Today, I was really focussed on the guys who were in the move yesterday, and that was the reason I was boxed in, so today, I tried to stay in front of them. Today I found some space. I needed to calm down and then launch again. I know it was a kind of finish that suits me."

The day delivered a hard-contested sprint, but no change in any of the Tour's main classifications. Pedersen, ninth at the line but second at the day's intermediate sprint, continues in green with 357 points to Girmay's 317 and Philipsen's 311. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) holds yellow and polka dots, while Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) continues in white.

Battle into Burgundy town

Following Søren Wærenskjold's stage 11 triumph in Nevers on Wednesday, Chalon-sur-Saône hosted the second half of a sprint double-header. The Tour last visited the Burgundy town seven years ago, when Dylan Groenewegen sprinted to glory ahead of Caleb Ewan and Peter Sagan.

Much like the previous day's outing, the 179.1km ride, starting out rom the motor racing circuit south of Nevers, was largely flat, with just a trio of fourth-category hills interrupting the monotony. The last of them, the Côte de Montangy-les-Buxy (2.5km at 3.9%) lay 20km from the finish line.

The stages opening 20 brought attack after attack from riders including

Josh Tarling (Netcompany Ineos), Mike Teunissen (XDS-Astana), Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor), and Kasper Asgreen (EF Education-EasyPost) off the front as they fought to get in the day's break.

A move from Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto-Intermarché), already part of two breakaways this Tour, kicked off his third day out front. He started off alone, but unlike his 144km solo effort on stage 5, however, as Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious), Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies), and Ewen Costiou (Groupama FDJ-United) joined him after the day's intermediate sprint.

Green jersey Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) grabbed another 20 points there, while the break races away to a two-minute lead as sprint teams Soudal-QuickStep, Alpecin-Premier Tech and NSN controlled the peloton.

Veistroffer led the break over the first two hills of the stage to pick up two mountain points, while little else of note happened before the third and final test.

At 62km from the finish, with the peloton under a minute behind and bearing down fast, Veistroffer and Costiou decided it was time to jump away at the front and blow the break apart.

Vercher and Caruso were quickly caught by the peloton, while Costiou dropped and was caught with 47km to run, leaving Veistroffer to go it alone once more.

He lasted until 31km from the line, by which point Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) had kicked off the attacking behind. Moves came and went, with his teammates Mattias Skjelmose, Derek Gee-West, Toms Skujinš, and Mads Pedersen also getting involved over the next 15km as they sought to disrupt the inevitable sprint.

Things calmed down once the day's final hill, the Côte de Montagny-les-Buxy, was over and done with, even if a few other riders tried hopeless moves.

The final 10km was far calmer, with XDS-Astana joining NSN, Soudal-QuickStep, and Alpecin-Premiet Tech in controlling the front and setting up the sprint.

Czech champion Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) led the way into the final 2km, while Alpecin-Premier Tech and double stage winner Merlier – plus lead-out man Jasper Stuyven – took over heading under the flamme rouge.

Fernando Gaviria (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) would play no part in the dash for the line, both coming down just before the sprint was opened and then holding up much of the peloton.

Up front, Mathieu van der Poel peeled off the front to launch Philipsen. However, the Belgian wouldn't go on to add to his career tally of 10 stage wins. Coming from behind, it was his compatriot who proved the fastest once agin to grab his sixth.

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