Results Tour de France 2026 Stage 12 - Tim Merlier wins chaotic Chalon-sur-Saone sprint after Lidl-Trek tears race apart
CyclingThursday, 16 July 2026 at 17:23
Tim Merlier claimed his third victory of the 2026 Tour de France after surviving a fiercely aggressive finale and launching from deep to beat Olav Kooij and Jasper Philipsen in Chalon-sur-Saone.
Lidl-Trek spent much of the closing 40 kilometres trying to destroy the expected bunch sprint through repeated attacks from Quinn Simmons, Mathias Vacek, Mattias Skjelmose and Mads Pedersen. The race eventually came back together, but the sustained pressure left the lead-out trains fractured before a crash inside the final kilometre added another layer of chaos.
Pedersen strengthens green jersey lead
The 179-kilometre stage began at high speed from the Magny-Cours motor racing circuit, with repeated attacks preventing the race from settling during the opening phase. Baptiste Veistroffer eventually escaped alone and built a lead of around two minutes before collecting the maximum 25 points at the intermediate sprint in Decize.
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Pedersen launched from Lidl-Trek team-mate Simmons’ wheel behind and beat Philipsen, Merlier, Max Kanter and Biniam Girmay from the peloton. The Dane moved across the road during his effort and briefly closed Philipsen’s path beside the barriers, prompting a conversation with the race jury.
The result stood, lifting Pedersen to 337 points and increasing his advantage over Girmay to 55. Damiano Caruso, Ewen Costiou and Matteo Vercher later bridged across to Veistroffer, but Alpecin-Premier Tech, Soudal – Quick-Step and NSN Cycling Team kept the move within reach.
Veistroffer swept up the first two classified climbs before dropping his companions one by one and pressing on alone. His resistance finally ended when Lidl-Trek began attacking in force inside the final 40 kilometres.
Lidl-Trek turns sprint stage into a classic
Simmons launched the first major acceleration on an uncategorised climb and triggered a sizeable split. Vacek then helped drive a powerful group clear containing Filippo Ganna, Georg Steinhauser, Daan Hoole, Davide Ballerini, Mauro Schmid, Lewis Askey and Fred Wright.
The move opened a gap of around 20 seconds, forcing Soudal – Quick-Step and NSN Cycling Team into a hard chase for Merlier and Girmay. Ganna drove the break, but the cooperation faltered and the peloton closed it before the final classified climb.
Lidl-Trek immediately attacked again. Skjelmose and Derek Gee-West were among the next riders to accelerate, while Tom Skujins helped keep the pace high approaching the Cote de Montagny-les-Buxy.
Simmons then produced another long effort on the climb, stringing out the peloton and leading over the summit. A fresh group briefly formed over the top, but it was reeled in with around 18 kilometres remaining.
The regrouping brought no calm. Pedersen repeatedly accelerated on the descent and rolling roads that followed, while Kasper Asgreen, Kevin Vauquelin, Michel Hessmann, John Degenkolb and Romain Gregoire all tried to exploit the disorder.
None of the attacks produced lasting separation, but the repeated surges dismantled the conventional sprint formations. Merlier remained tucked inside the reduced peloton, while Philipsen was repeatedly forced to move himself rather than rely on a settled Alpecin-Premier Tech train.
Merlier strikes after final-kilometre crash
Control only began to return inside the final seven kilometres, when XDS Astana moved to the front for Kanter and Decathlon CMA CGM Team, Bahrain Victorious and NSN Cycling Team began rebuilding around their sprinters.
Vacek completed another huge turn for Lidl-Trek approaching the flamme rouge, before Alpecin-Premier Tech finally brought Philipsen forward with three team-mates in front of him.
A crash involving Fernando Gaviria then split the flow of the sprint inside the final kilometre. Philipsen emerged in a strong position, but Merlier came from further back and carried the greater speed through the final metres.
The Belgian powered past Kooij and Philipsen to take the stage in 3:38:53, with Girmay fourth and Milan Fretin completing the top five.
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Carlos Silva is a writer for CiclismoAtual.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he contributes race reports, interviews, analysis pieces, and live coverage of the international cycling calendar. Holding a degree in Sports from the Jean Piaget Institute, he combines academic knowledge of performance, training, and competition with hands-on journalism experience in professional cycling.
Throughout his career, Carlos has conducted interviews with leading figures in the sport, including Alberto Contador, Joaquim Rodríguez, Óscar Pereiro, João Almeida, Isaac del Toro, Derek Gee, John Degenkolb and Geraint Thomas. These conversations reflect direct engagement with Grand Tour winners, Classics specialists, and emerging talents.
He has provided on-site coverage at major events ranging from the Vuelta a España to the Tour de France, alongside stage races such as Vuelta a Andalucía, Volta ao Algarve, Volta a Portugal and O Gran Camiño. Covering the mythical climbs of the Giro d'Italia remains one of his professional ambitions.
Carlos is responsible for liveblog coverage of all major WorldTour races and beyond, including the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España. His reporting integrates verified data from ProCyclingStats to ensure statistical accuracy, contextual depth, and analytical precision.
A lifelong cycling enthusiast, he approaches storytelling across written, photographic, and video formats with a focus on credibility, tactical insight, and informed race interpretation.
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