Merlier gets his Tour de France hat trick in crash-marred stage 11 sprint
CyclingThursday, 16 July 2026 at 20:54
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Follow us on GoogleThe twelfth stage of the Tour de France was won by Tim Merlier. The Belgian from Soudal Quick-Step managed to beat Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) in a chaotic sprint marred by a hard crash. It marked his third stage victory in this Tour de France.
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What a bizarre finish we saw in Stage 11. The sprinters finally had another chance, but they handled it strangely. It wasn’t until two kilometers from the finish that the real sprint trains were formed, after which everything came to a standstill again in the final 500 meters. Søren Waerenskjold capitalized with a long sprint and was the surprise winner in Nevers.
We’ll be starting again in Nevers. At the famous Magny-Cours circuit, a former Formula 1 track, the peloton will set off for yet another sprint stage. With a few more obstacles than on Wednesday, but we’ll likely see a bunch sprint in Chalon-sur-Saône.
But the attackers, just like in stage eleven, saw their chance. It was a battle from the start, with names like Kasper Asgreen (EF Education-EasyPost), Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility), and Josh Tarling (Netcompany INEOS) trying their luck. However, Soudal Quick-Step and Alpecin-Premier Tech sent a rider along each time, causing the breakaway to fall apart. Who did manage to get away? Baptise Veistroffer (Lotto-Intermarché), of course.
Controversial intermediate sprint Pedersen
The Frenchman built up a two-minute lead and was the first to cross the line at the intermediate sprint. There, Mads Pedersen took the full points behind the lone leader, but he strayed from his line. He was summoned to the commissaires’ car and the sprint came under scrutiny, but in the end the green jersey wearer from Lidl-Trek got off scot-free. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) had to settle for second place.
After the intermediate sprint, the attack plans were drawn up once more. A brief, frantic attempt to break away followed, and three riders succeeded: Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious), Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies) and Ewen Costiou (Groupama-FDJ) pulled away and closed the gap on Veistroffer. This left us with four leaders, whilst the sprinters’ teams maintained control.
Punctures for the leaders, Veistroffer on his own again
Not long after the trio had caught up with the front runners, Veistroffer and Costiou decided to break away. Caruso and Guernalec were caught, but Veistroffer later left Costiou behind as well. The man who had been leading all day was thus the last to be caught. Meanwhile, Philipsen and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) suffered punctures, but were able to rejoin the race without any problems.
There were a few small hills in the final forty kilometres, and Lidl-Trek launched the final attack there. Quinn Simmons split the peloton and took several big names among the attackers with him. However, riders such as Filippo Ganna (Netcompany INEOS), Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) and Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) were accompanied by too many sprinters’ scouts: they were reeled back in.
But it marked the start of an offensive phase. Lidl-Trek gave it their all, with Simmons, Toms Skujins and Derek Gee-West among those leading the charge. Simmons even had time to give his father a high five in the middle of his attack! Even Pedersen and Philipsen joined in the flurry of attacks. The pure sprinters were put under pressure by the big engines. Kasper Asgreen (EF Education-EasyPost) proved to have the most power.
Results Stage 12, 2026 Tour de France
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David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- - Grande Pidcock hoy, pero ánimo Mathieu. El circuito de Val di Sole es brutal, sin margen. Next time, mate.breakawaybikerd30-08-2026
- - Feels a bit like the same narrative as 2023—brilliant lead-up, flat at Worlds. Maybe the peaking strategy isn’t dialed for XCO? Still a legend, but the MTB WC luck is rough.robert6530-08-2026
- - How come he was so strong in Les Gets and then this happens a week later? Is recovery that different in MTB vs road? Also, does starting 5th row always handicap you this much?michael5430-08-2026
- - Surprised he faded from around 17th to 30th. Was the start loop chaos or just no torque on the long climbs? The rock garden looked savage on TV.bikebuffj30-08-2026
- - Tough day for MvdP. Starting 5th row like Pidcock but never moving up tells you everything about the legs. Val di Sole punishes you if you’re 2% off. Fair play to Tom, different class today.patriciaw30-08-2026
- - Pidcock planning less MTB next year, then building for LA 2028—makes sense. But will road focus hurt his tech on the XCO? Rock gardens don’t forgive. Still, if anyone can juggle it, it’s him. Bravo lads. Enorme carrera, muy emocionante.velodromevirtuoso130-08-2026
- - Slight nitpick: the piece glosses over Boichis’ form. He’s been flying all year and didn’t “fade” so much as got marked and then squeezed when Tom kicked. Feels a bit harsh to call him just “the favorite” without context.bikebuffj30-08-2026
- - Can someone explain how gridding works? If he started fifth row, how many seconds back is that usually, and does it affect the first singletrack pinch that much?gearguru3330-08-2026
- - Proper champion’s performance. Managing the back pain after Friday’s crash then still finding the snap in the last two laps… class. And the dedication to the Tarling family was moving. Respect.sprocketspiny30-08-2026
- - What a ride from Pidcock. Fifth row to solo on lap 6 is outrageous. The way he paced it—sitting in when he hit eighth, then timing the bridge—textbook XCO smarts. Also fair play to Aldridge, that Cannondale setup looks dialled this season.raceready730-08-2026
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