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Merlier Wins Stage 12, Gaviria Crash, Pogacar Retains Yellow

7/17/2026

26 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Merlier Wins

Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) won Stage 12 of the 2026 Tour de France in 3:38:53.
Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) finished second and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) third.
Fernando Gaviria (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) clipped a wheel in the sprint, crashing and taking down five riders.
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) kept the yellow jersey, 3 min 36 s ahead of Jonas Vingegaard.

Summary

Merlier Motivated

Merlier said Cameron and son Jules watching the finish gave him motivation.
Fretin admitted the stage might be his last Tour chance, seeking a chance on stage 17.
Pogacar described Friday’s 205 km hilly stage as “weird” and said he will conserve energy for weekend mountains.
Andersen said Lidl-Trek tried a sprint tactic, refusing the usual sprinter train.
Pedersen was warned after he squeezed Philipsen into the barriers at the sprint.

Summary

Voisard Leads

Stage 13 of the 2026 Tour covers 205.8 km from Dole to Belfort and includes a Category 1 climb to the Ballon d’Alsace (1,173 m, 6.9 % over 9 km) followed by a 30-km finish.
Heavy rain and shifting winds on stage 12 made the race unpredictable and helped cause a crash before the finish.
Yannis Voisard leads the Swiss riders in the general classification, sitting 16th overall.
Mauro Schmid placed 23rd on stage 12.

History

Historical Context

In 2017, stage 12 in Saint-Étienne saw five riders, including Peter Sagan, crash, leading race director Christian Prudhomme to note the incident and prompting the Amaury Sport Organisation to review sprint safety. The pattern repeated in 2026 when Tim Merlier won stage 12 while Fernando Gaviria clipped a wheel, sparking another call for tighter sprint-finish protocols.

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Merlier Wins

Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) won Stage 12 of the 2026 Tour de France in 3:38:53.
Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) finished second and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) third.
Fernando Gaviria (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) clipped a wheel in the sprint, crashing and taking down five riders.
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) kept the yellow jersey, 3 min 36 s ahead of Jonas Vingegaard.

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