Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 3 of the 2025 Tour de France. It's another day for the sprinters on the road to Dunkerque today!
Here's a look at today's stage profile.
And here's the map of the stage. It's a race to the North Sea on day three of the 2025 Tour.
Alpecin-Deceuninck have triumphed on each of the two stages which opened the Tour at the weekend, with Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel coming out on top.
Today's stage kicks off with the neutral roll-out at 13:10 local time, just under an hour away.
Sunday's stage 2 brought a hilly finish in Boulogne-sur-Mer. 26 riders finished together at the front, led home by Mathieu van der Poel – ahead of GC men Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard and the uphill finish.
Here's our look back at stage 2 via our comprehensive race report.
50 minutes to the stage start now.
The opening weekend of the Tour thankfully didn't feature any yellow card infractions, but the commissaires did still have some fines to hand out. Check out all the yellow cards, fines, and penalties at the Tour de France here.
13 minutes until the riders roll out for the 6.6km neutral start.
With the action soon to begin for stage 3, here's a reminder of how to watch the 2025 Tour de France.
Mathieu van der Poel rides to the presentation at the start in Valenciennes clad in his new yellow jersey.
If all goes to plan, Van der Poel will be leading out stage 1 winner and green jersey holder Jasper Philipsen at the finish today.
It's raining at the start in Valenciennes. Lots of riders in jackets as the countdown to the start begins.
Polka dot jersey holder Tadej Pogačar at the start today.
The riders have just rolled out to begin stage 3 and the 6.6km neutralised start has begun.
3.2km to go of the neutral start. No incident yet, just rain.
A delay in the real start as riders return to the rear of the peloton.
Aleksandr Vlasov, Davide Ballerini, and Lenny Martinez are getting back on.
Axel Laurance is now drifting off the back.
The Frenchman gets a rear wheel change so the start is delayed further.
We're still waiting for the start...
175km to go
We lost 3km of the stage following that delayed start.
No attacks at the start. There's not much incentive for anyone to get in the break today, with just one fourth-category climb and a nailed-on sprint at the finish.
Jonas Rickaert (Alpecin-Deceuninck) rides off the front but it's not an attack. He's just rolling along rather than flying away from the group.
Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) jumps from the peloton and bridges across.
Two men off the front now, around 10 seconds up on the peloton.
Alpecin-Deceuninck hold both the yellow and green jerseys, and in Philipsen they have one of the favourites for the stage win.
Lidl-Trek are at the front of the peloton now. If they bring back Rickaert, they'll be forcing Alpecin-Deceuninck to help them out in setting the pacemaking today.
169km to go
Rickaert drops back to the peloton. Mohorič follows. No more breakaway.
164km to go
Still no action at the moment.
The riders are averaging around 33kph so far, 13km into today's stage.
It's not raining on the race currently but riders are still in their rain jackets.
Belgian champion Tim Wellens now jumps off the front along with his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates Nils Politt.
It's not a serious move though as they're laughing with each other.
Several more riders have gone off the front with them, including three from Alpecin-Deceuninck.
153km to go
The speed has upped now with the sprint teams taking over at the head of the peloton.
No riders are off the front currently, though.
145km to go
Not much action so far today. Here's a shot of the peloton rolling along during the early kilometres of the stage.
Alpecin-Deceuninck are among the teams massed on the front at the moment.
It's all flat today until the riders reach the 2.3km Mont Cassel at 31km from the finish line.
135km to go
A joke from the UAE Team Emirates-XRG team car to their riders. They got on the radio to say, "If you need something, tell us, because Tadej is with us."
The riders pass the 50km mark but still a long way to go.
Alpecin-Deceuninck are currently lined out at the front of the peloton. Soudal-QuickStep have several riders up there, too.
Tudor sprinter Alberto Dainese, a stage winner at the Giro and Vuelta, stops for a wheel change.
A long view of the peloton riding along towards Dunkerque.
Still no breakaway, and there's no rain here either.
One big piece of news from this morning is the report that Decathlon are officially taking over at Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. The sporting goods retailer is taking full control of the team's governance from the outgoing AG2R insurance company.
120km to go
Stage 2 of the Giro d'Italia Women, the race's first mountainous test up to Aprica, finished a short while ago.
We're coming ever closer to the 100km to go marker.
112km to go
Remco Evenepoel has been subject to transfer speculation in each of the past two summers. That isn't changing this year, with Cyclingnews sources at the Tour de France saying that a deal is likely.
100km to go
Alpecin-Deceuninck working for Jasper Philipsen during the stage.
Here's the yellow jersey Mathieu van der Poel sharing a laugh with Pascal Eenkhoorn at the head of the race, too.
93km to go
The day's intermediate sprint is in Isbergues, just over 30km up the road.
Several other teams are flowing to the front currently, with Bahrain Victorious also up there. Still no moves, however.
The average speed for the day is up to just over 39kph.
76km to go
Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Wanty) gets a puncture just as things seem to be kicking off.
Flags at the roadside are blowing hard right to left at the moment.
No splits at the moment and it looks as though the pace isn't fully turned on for now.
Rex is now back in the peloton.
66km to go
It's all speeding up again as the riders close in on the intermediate sprint!
Lidl-Trek, Intermarché-Wanty, and Alpecin-Deceunick are all going for it.
Milan, Girmay, and Philipsen will be aiming for the big points here.
60km to go
A big crash for the green jersey in the middle of the sprint.
Philipsen's jersey is totally torn. It looks like he's hit the ground on his back.
A lead-out rider for Girmay collided with Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), both staying upright, with Coquard barely keeping it together but inadvertently taking out Philipsen behind him.
Philipsen's teammates have been waved to go on by the Alpecin-Deceuninck staff. It looks like it's Tour over for the Belgian.
He's being tended to by race doctors at the side of the road.
Coquard did amazingly well to stay up. He moved to the right a little, going shoulder to shoulder with the Intermarché-Wanty rider who was coming up alongside him.
Alpecin-Deceuninck's attention will now turn to Kaden Groves, the two-time Vuelta points champion.
41km to go
Here are the results at the intermediate sprint, which got forgotten in the chaos...
Girmay is in virtual green for now on 63 points, 12 up on Milan. Van der Poel is third on 50, a point ahead of Turgis, while Penhoët is fifth on 43 points.
Another crash in the peloton as Aurélien Paret-Peintre (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) going down.
Tim Wellens goes on the attack. He's solo into the headwind but the peloton has let him go.
34km to go
A radio message from UAE informs Wellens that he'll take the polka dot jersey if he leads the race over Mont Cassel.
Wellens will take the jersey from his teammate Tadej Pogačar.
A nice shot of the peloton from a little earlier on today.
Wellens is nearing the top of the climb now. 300 metres to go and job done, a smart move by UAE.
Wellens over the top with 1:40 in hand and now he eases up to wait for the peloton. He'll take the polka dot jersey for the second time in his career, having worn it for 15 days in 2019.
29km to go
It's a good time, then, to check out our sprinters guide - Who are the fastest sprinters of the 2025 Tour de France?
Kaden Groves will have Mathieu van der Poel leading him out for the first time today.
Wellens is now back in the peloton.
The pace hasn't yet been upped in the peloton ahead of the sprint finish.
A look at Wellens going on the move earlier on.
Several teams have blocked it off at the front of the peloton. Intermarché-Wanty Israel-Premier Tech, Jayco-AlUla, Bahrain Victorious, Alpecin-Deceuninck, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Lotto, and Soudal-QuickStep are all there.
The riders are still racing into a headwind here, so the pace remains low.
18km to go
An average speed of 41kph so far today, which is slower than even the slowest projection for the stage of 42kph.
Still a go-slow at the front with the teams at the front blocking the front of the road.
Lidl-Trek, Visma-Lease A Bike, and Arkéa-B&B Hotels are also up front now.
12km to go
It's getting nervous now.
Some commotion at the front as teams fight for position.
Lotto are also not close to the front.
We're speeding up now inside the final 10km!
The sprint squads are fighting for position up front.
Lidl, Alpecin, Picnic, Bahrain, Lotto up there
5km to go
Lotto are now leading the peloton with two.
Alpecin have dropped back a little.
De Lie's Lotto squad is lined up alongside Jayco-AlUla of Dylan Groenewegen.
A crash in the peloton as there's a touch of wheels near the front...
There was a squeeze in the middle of the peloton and Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) went down.
No sprint for him today. He was in good form heading into the race and now he's on the ground and possibly out of the Tour.
3km to go
Meeus' teammate Primož Roglič checks on Evenepoel.
2km to go
Now Lidl-Trek take over!
Jasper Stuyven leads from Edward Theuns and Jonathan Milan.
Alpecin are nowhere!
1km to go
Groves is dropped off by Van der Poel but a long way off the front.
A big crash in the background as the sprint is launched!
It's Merlier vs Milan at the front...
Milan launched the sprint and Merlier came up from behind.
Merlier had prime position behind Milan.
And then he came through and just about pipped the Italian.
Finish
Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) took third behind the big two.
Milan had the inside line on the curving run to the finish but lost out in the bike throw!
There's barely the depth of a tyre between the front two..
After Merlier and Milan crossed the line, star sprinter turned SBS commentator Caleb Ewan pointed out the Belgian's aero position in contrast to Milan's much more upright, uncontrolled sprinting.
Here's a look at the two men diving for the finish line.
Here's what Merlier said after the stage...
Milan may have lost the stage, meanwhile, but he ascends to the green jersey as points classification leader.
Stage winner Tim Merlier celebrates with teammate Remco Evenepoel after the stage.
Philipsen aside, a good day for Belgian racers as Merlier wins the stage and Wellens takes the polka dot jersey.
Davide Ballerini, Paul Penhoët, and Arnaud De Lie were all caught up in the crash on the penultimate sweeping bend.
Alpecin-Deceuninck co-manager Philip Roodhooft has said that the team fears Jasper Philipsen suffered a broken shoulder in that intermediate sprint crash.
Stage 3 winner Tim Merlier celebrates his victory on the podium today. With only Belgian and Dutch stage winners so far, will another nation break the Low Countries' supremacy on stage 4?
Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel remains in the race lead overnight. The Road to Rouen brings another possible chance for him tomorrow with plenty of hills packed into the closing 50km.
Jonathan Milan is in the green jersey for the first time in his career, though he'll be wanting a stage win to go with it at some point.
Tim Wellens, meanwhile, is back in the polka dot jersey after a six-year wait. There are five classified climbs coming up on stage 4, however, so it may be his only day in the jersey.
Kévin Vauquelin remains in white as best young rider. He leads Joseph Blackmore by 31 seconds.
Several riders, including Jordi Meeus, crossed the line battered and bruised. However, Philipsen is the only confirmed DNF so far. 181 riders still in the race at the moment.
Check out our full stage 3 report here.
Meanwhile, the current GC standings at the Tour de France after stage 3 are here.
We'll have news coming in from our reporters on the ground throughout the evening, including stories on the crashes and chaos of stage 3, more reaction to Philipsen's withdrawal, and some GC reaction, too.
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