Explosive displays of power and, at times, chaos: The sprints of the 2025 Tour de France have rewarded the fastest just as they have brought down the boldest or the unluckiest. On Monday, July 7, during the third stage between Valenciennes and Dunkirk (northern France), the peloton offered yet another prime example. Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quick Step), the reigning European champion, claimed victory by a hair’s breadth over Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) at the end of a stage marked by the withdrawal of the green jersey holder, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), 60 kilometers from the finish line.
Yet for the key figures in this high-tension finish, the main concern lay elsewhere. The first words of the other runner-up, Milan, at the press conference, were for Philipsen: “I am really sorry for” him.
This 178.3-kilometer stage, designed for sprinters, had begun at a leisurely pace, with a few fruitless breakaway attempts. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement among the sprinters’ teams after two lively opening days of racing.
But as the race approached the intermediate sprint at Isbergues, about 60 kilometers from the finish, the fastest riders − eager to collect points for the green jersey − raised the tension within what had been a relatively calm peloton. Attempting to make his way to the front, the Belgian Philipsen, winner of the first stage in Lille and the first yellow jersey of this 2025 Tour, was sideswiped by Frenchman Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), who accidentally hit him after veering off his line and brushing against Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Wanty).
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