photo credits @ Le Tour
Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) claimed stage 3 of the Tour de France today, after the Belgian rider out-sprinted Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) in a photo finish in Dunkirk.
Merlier and Milan were among a small group of survivors in today’s chaotic finale that saw two crashes during the final 3km, while sprint favorite Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) crashed out earlier in the stage.
Race Highlights
Jonas Rickaert (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Victorious) attacked from the outset of the stage, but their time out front came to an end after only 10km of racing.
From there, Nils Politt and Tim Wellens (UAE Emirates XRG) took to the front, but their exploits lasted only short time as well, as the duo was reined in just 11km later.
The intensity in the race later picked after the peloton departed Béthune, with Philipsen crashing during the intermediate sprint in Isbergues after he made contact with Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), forcing the Belgian rider to abandon the race.
Wellens later attacked ahead of Mont Cassel to chase down the KOM point and secure the polka-dot jersey. But, the Belgian rider was reined in with 27km to go.
As the peloton reached Dunkirk, teams began a fierce battle for the position under the duress of strong headwinds, with Lidl-Trek taking over the reins for Milan during the last kilometer.
However, Merlier had other plans, overtaking his Italian rival during the final moments of the sprint to snatch the stage honors by mere centimeters.
Meanwhile, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) held onto the yellow jersey after finishing safely in the main group.
