Tim Merlier wins chaotic Tour de France stage 12 as massive crash forces two abandonments
Belgian Tim Merlier sprinted to his third stage victory of the 2026 Tour de France in Chalon-sur-Saône, but a violent crash inside the final 500 metres left Fernando Gaviria and Jenno Berckmoes with fractured clavicles and forced their withdrawal from the race.
Merlier's third win
Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) won the 12th stage of the 2026 Tour de France on Thursday, a 179.1 km ride from the Nevers Magny-Cours Circuit to Chalon-sur-Saône. The Belgian sprinter came from behind in the final metres to edge Dutchman Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) and compatriot Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech). It was Merlier's third stage victory of this Tour, following wins on stages 7 and 8, and the sixth Tour stage win of his career. The result came a day after a disappointing 15th place, and Merlier said the presence of his wife and young son made it especially meaningful.
Today I was really focused on the guys who were boxed in yesterday. I found some space and I launched.
A frantic stage
Early breakaway attempts were tightly controlled by the sprinters' teams. Baptiste Veistroffer (Intermarché-Lotto) eventually forced a move and was joined by Ewen Costiou, Mattéo Vercher and Damiano Caruso. Lidl-Trek, aiming to protect Mads Pedersen's green jersey, launched repeated attacks in the final 20 kilometres through Quinn Simmons, Mattias Skjelmose and Pedersen himself. Heavy rain and shifting winds added to the nervousness, but the peloton kept the escapees in check and set up the expected mass sprint.
A crash that reshaped the finale
The sprint was overshadowed by a violent crash inside the final 500 metres. Colombia's Fernando Gaviria (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) touched the wheel of a Bahrain Victorious rider, triggering a pile-up that brought down dozens of riders. Gaviria suffered a fractured clavicle and was forced to abandon, as was Belgian Jenno Berckmoes (Intermarché-Lotto), who sustained the same injury. Stage 11 winner Soren Waerenskjold also hit the deck, and Dorian Godon (Ineos Grenadiers) was taken for examinations.
I spoke to him from where he fell until we got to the bus, he was very touched. He hit his head very hard. It was chaos, a real disorder among the sprinter trains at the front of the peloton. I had tried to reposition him as far forward as possible.
Race director Christian Prudhomme confirmed the fractures on French television. For Caja Rural, it was the second abandonment of the race after Alex Molenaar's earlier exit.
- Baptiste Veistroffer, Ewen Costiou, Mattéo Vercher and Damiano Caruso escape
- Mads Pedersen's team launches repeated attacks in final 20 km to protect green jersey
- Sprinter teams reel in breakaway and set up mass sprint
- Fernando Gaviria touches a wheel, triggering a massive pile-up
- Tim Merlier edges Olav Kooij and Jasper Philipsen
General classification untouched
The overall standings remained unchanged. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) kept the yellow jersey, 3 minutes 36 seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike). French hope Paul Seixas stayed fifth overall, 13 seconds behind Juan Ayuso, who holds the white jersey as best young rider. In the points classification, Mads Pedersen's green jersey lead was trimmed to 40 points over Biniam Girmay after Lidl-Trek's aggressive tactics failed to prevent a mass sprint. Merlier sits fourth in that ranking.
French drought and the road ahead
After 12 of 21 stages, no French rider has won a stage. Alex Baudin's fourth place at Ussel remains the best home result. The coming weekend brings mountainous terrain, and several sprinters may now abandon the race with few opportunities left. Merlier himself could leave early, having achieved his objectives.
