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Merlier Wins Stage 8, Pogacar Holds Yellow Jersey

7/11/2026

Summary

Merlier Wins

Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) won Stage 8 at Bergerac in 3:52:50.
Tim Merlier outsprinted Biniam Girmay and Olav Kooij, with Jasper Philipsen finishing fourth.
Liam Slock (Lotto Intermarché) led a 40-km solo break before being caught 1.3 km from the finish.
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) kept the yellow jersey, 2:42 ahead of Jonas Vingegaard.
Tim Merlier’s win moved Tim Merlier to second in the points race, 15 points behind leader Mads Pedersen.

Summary

Merlier Wins

Tim Merlier won the stage after Jasper Stuyven assumed lead-out when Bert van Lerberghe abandoned on the Col du Tourmalet.
Visma | Lease a Bike ran a stage, keeping seven riders in the peloton and focusing on recovery.
Bordeaux temperatures hit 38 °C, prompting intensified bottle-handing by riders such as Valentin Paret-Peintre and Ilan Van Wilder.
Baptiste Veistroffer earned the combativity prize for aggressive riding despite being caught before the finish.

History

Historical Context

In 2007 Mark Cavendish’s Stage 9 sprint for Team High Road earned him 50 points, his first Tour de France stage win and the green-jersey lead that began a decade of sprint dominance, eventually tying Eddy Merckx’s 34-stage record. Tim Merlier’s Stage 8 victory puts him 15 points behind leader Mads Pedersen, forcing Soudal Quick-Step and Visma | Lease a Bike to refine lead-out tactics.

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Merlier Wins

Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) won Stage 8 at Bergerac in 3:52:50.
Tim Merlier outsprinted Biniam Girmay and Olav Kooij, with Jasper Philipsen finishing fourth.
Liam Slock (Lotto Intermarché) led a 40-km solo break before being caught 1.3 km from the finish.
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) kept the yellow jersey, 2:42 ahead of Jonas Vingegaard.
Tim Merlier’s win moved Tim Merlier to second in the points race, 15 points behind leader Mads Pedersen.

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