Tim Merlier took a tense and crash-filled stage 3 of the Tour de France in Dunkerque, beating Jonathan Milan by centimetres in a photo finish after a messy and unpredictable sprint. Phil Bauhaus finished third after managing to stay upright through a finale where multiple crashes left the sprint depleted and the standings shaken. Earlier in the day, green jersey wearer Jasper Philipsen was forced to abandon the race following a high-speed crash at the intermediate sprint.
The 178.3km route from Valenciennes to Dunkerque was the flattest of the Tour so far and expected to be one for the pure sprinters. That expectation, combined with the fatigue of the opening two days in Northern France, led to a subdued first half of the stage. No breakaway formed, and the peloton rolled along steadily at an average speed around 40km/h. For the most part, it looked like a truce had been called.
But the first major incident came just after the halfway mark. As the peloton ramped up for the intermediate sprint, Jasper Philipsen collided with riders moving across in front of him. As Bryan Coquard accelerated with Laurenz Rex close by, Philipsen had no room to manoeuvre and hit the ground at nearly 60km/h. He landed hard on his right shoulder, tore his green skinsuit, and remained down for some time.
Race doctors treated him at the roadside before placing his right arm in a sling. Though he had briefly remounted, it became clear there would be no continuation. His abandonment was confirmed soon after – a massive blow to both the points competition and Alpecin-Deceuninck, who had enjoyed a dream start to the race with Philipsen winning stage 1 and taking yellow, followed by Mathieu van der Poel’s stage 2 victory.
Photo Credit: a.s.o./charly lopezThe final 10km: sprint teams unravel as crashes pile up
As the peloton approached the final 10km, sprint teams finally moved forward. Lidl-Trek, Bahrain Victorious, and Intermarché-Wanty all tried to assert themselves, though the absence of Alpecin-Deceuninck’s leadout train was already noticeable. Soudal Quick-Step had Merlier well positioned but without a full sprint setup around him.
With just 3km to go, the first major crash of the finale brought down several riders, including Remco Evenepoel, Jordi Meeus, and Geraint Thomas. Though none of the three appeared seriously injured, the incident badly disrupted the lead-in. Evenepoel rejoined quickly, but the GC group was rattled and splintered.
Just beyond the final corner, more riders lost control as tyres slid out under pressure. Cees Bol and Alexis Renard were among those to hit the ground. At that point, the sprint had devolved into individual survival.
Merlier gets it right in the last chaotic moments
Lidl-Trek had looked to be the most coordinated team inside the final 1.5km, but Jonathan Milan became isolated as the crashes reshaped the front of the race. With the Italian left to surf wheels alone, Merlier managed to latch onto a late slipstream and timed his effort to perfection, coming around Milan in the final metres to take the win by a narrow margin.
Just behind, Phil Bauhaus came up for third, while a second heavy crash in the final 200 metres added to the day’s list of victims. Bryan Coquard, Davide Ballerini, Arnaud De Lie, Paul Penhoët, and Emilien Jeannière were all involved, with Jeannière hitting the barriers at high speed and later taken away in an ambulance.
Merlier’s win marks his first Tour stage victory since 2021 and underlines his sprinting form after strong showings at Scheldeprijs and the Baloise Belgium Tour earlier this year. With Philipsen out and Milan narrowly denied, Merlier now emerges as one of the top sprinters remaining in the race – assuming he can navigate what’s left of the sprint stages with fewer incidents than today.
2025 Tour de France Stage 3 result
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Main photo credit: Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP
