Belgian sprinter Tim Merlier took victory in Dunkirk after stage 3 of the Tour de France was marred by a series of crashes that ended Jasper Philipsen’s race.
Soudal-QuickStep’s Merlier took his opportunity to pip Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) in a photo finish to secure the second stage victory of his career, pouncing after misfortune befell the stage favourite Philipsen. The Belgian had taken the opening stage of the race in dominant fashion and looked the favourite to hold on to his green jersey, but touched wheels with Bryan Coquard on the approach to the intermediate sprint and appeared to suffer a broken collarbone, with his abandonment soon confirmed.
Merlier’s teammate Remco Evenepoel, who lost nearly 40 seconds to Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard on the way to Lille on stage 1, was also caught up in a crash in the final few kilometres, though will not lose any time having been together with the rest of the peloton. It had looked a day that would pass without major incident with no major climbing tests or crosswinds, and a breakaway failed to form - yet chaos never seems far away in this unpredictable edition....
Follow all of the latest from Stage 3 with our live blog below:
Tour de France Stage 3 live
- Stage 3 of Tour de France: 178.3km from Valenciennes to Dunkirk | Live on TNT Sports and ITV
- Sprint finish likely though headwinds and rain could cause problems
- Mathieu van der Poel made it two wins from two for Alpecin-Deceuninck to take yellow jersey yesterday
Merlier takes sprint victory as Philipsen abandons Tour after crash
17:59 , Callum Rice-Coates
Tim Merlier takes sprint victory on Stage 3 as Philipsen abandons Tour after crash
What to expect from Stage 4
17:38 , Callum Rice-CoatesThis route might offer a first look at who is feeling good among the climbers, with five categorised ascents in all. The final climb, the Rampe Saint-Hilaire, is a steep 800m road at 10.6%, with the summit only 5km from the finish, and the stage winner will require strong legs to keep away from any chasing pack.
Stage 3 final result
17:15 , Callum Rice-Coates1. Tim Merlier (Bel/Soudal Quick-Step) 4hrs 16mins 55secs
2. Jonathan Milan (Ita/Lidl-Trek) "
3. Phil Bauhaus (Ger/Bahrain Victorious) "
4. Soren Waerenskjold (Nor/Uno-X Mobility) "
5. Pavel Bittner (Cze/Picnic PostNL) "
6. Biniam Girmay (Eri/Intermarche-Wanty) "
7. Kaden Groves (Aus/Alpecin - Deceuninck) "
8. Danny van Poppel (Ned/Red Bull - Bora - hansgrohe) "
9. Pascal Ackermann (Ger/Israel - Premier Tech) "
10. Amaury Capiot (Bel/Arkwa - B&B Hotels) "
Merlier reflects on stage win
17:05 , Callum Rice-Coates"Was a really hard battle. It was difficult to be in position. The team did an incredible job in the last 5km. It was difficult to find position. I'm happy to take my second win in the Tour de France. The yellow jersey was the goal but I am happy I have a stage."
The final sprint
17:01 , Callum Rice-Coates🇪🇺 Victory goes to the European Champion @MerlierTim !
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 7, 2025
🇪🇺 La victoire revient au champion d'Europe @MerlierTim !#TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/aWO9LFaPNw
Walking wounded
16:57 , Callum Rice-CoatesPlenty of sore bodies out there today. A few crashes in the peloton and, of course, Philipsen’s nasty fall in the intermediate sprint. A couple of riders were hurt in the final sprint too.
MERLIER WINS STAGE 3!
16:53 , Callum Rice-CoatesWow! Merlier wins it by the finest of margins from Milan! There’s a big crash behind them on the final sprint, too.
1km to go
16:52 , Callum Rice-CoatesMilan is in a perfect position here. Can anyone get ahead of him?
Crash!
16:51 , Callum Rice-Coates3km to go: A crash in the peloton. Evenepoel is involved. A couple of riders are down and will need treatment. A group have gone clear and will sprint to the line.
Wellens stepping on it
16:05 , Callum Rice-Coates33km to go: Wellens has really flown ahead, now 1 minute and 20 seconds ahead of the peloton.
Wellens races clear
16:03 , Callum Rice-Coates35km to go: Tim Wellens has gone on his own up the only categorised climb of the day, Mont Cassel. He’s got his eyes on the polka dot jersey, currently being worn by Tadej Pogacar.
Words exchanged
15:51 , Callum Rice-Coates44km to go: There will be plenty of fallout from that Philipsen crash. Bryan Coquard has been seen exchanging words with a couple of Alpecin–Deceuninck riders.
Philipsen crash
15:43 , Callum Rice-Coates48km to go:
The green jersey goes DOWN in the battle for the intermediate sprint and it looks like a bad one 💥
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) July 7, 2025
That might be the end of Jasper Philipsen's Tour de France 💔 pic.twitter.com/oUbuDJzzh2
Girmay leads points classification
15:39 , Callum Rice-Coates50km to go: Biniam Girmay is leading the points classification now following Philipsen’s abandonment.
Philipsen and Coquard collision
15:31 , Callum Rice-Coates56km to go: Bryan Coquard was nudged and drifted to the left, and Philipsen couldn’t avoid him, causing his fall. He landed badly on his right shoulder.
Philipsen abandons
15:2957km to go: Such a shame for Philipsen, who abandons. He’s being seen by doctors on the side of the road.
Milan wins intermediate sprint
15:28 , Callum Rice-Coates58km to go: The main concern is with Philipsen, whose Tour had been going so well until this point. It looks a nasty injury for him. Jonathan Milan took the 20 points from the intermediate sprint.
Big fall for Philipsen
15:26 , Callum Rice-Coates60km to go: A horrible crash for Jasper Philipsen in the green jersey, who falls on the intermediate sprint. He’s got a scraped back and is holding his right shoulder in pain. That’s probably his race over.
Pace increasing
15:21 , Callum Rice-Coates64km to go: The tempo is gradually upping as we approach the intermediate sprint. But the peloton are still bunched together.
Marathon not a sprint
14:46 , Callum Rice-Coates88km to go: The leisurely pace today has perhaps meant a paucity of action, but the riders are taking the opportunity on a flat course to keep something in the tank for more challenging stages to come.
Van der Poel in yellow
14:34 , Callum Rice-Coates96km to go:
Mathieu van der Poel in yellow 😍💛 pic.twitter.com/iFNYZ0bjxU
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) July 7, 2025
Peloton spreading out
14:22 , Callum Rice-Coates105km to go: The peloton has become a long, thin trail of riders, with Alpecin-Deceuninck setting the pace at the front.
Weather improving
14:08 , Callum Rice-Coates115km to go: There’s no rain now and the sun is threatening to come out. Temperatures are fairly cool but the big issue later in the race will be the headwind, which is expected to be significant during the final sprint.
Average speed
13:51 , Callum Rice-Coates126km to go: The average speed of the peloton so far is 36.2kmh, so it’s very much a case of saving the legs for a full throttle finish.
Smooth sailing for Vingegaard
13:47 , Callum Rice-Coates129km to go:
😘 All good for Jonas Vingegaard so far!
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 7, 2025
😘 Tout va bien pour Jonas Vingegaard !#TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/Nj5pZULxPF
All quiet
13:35 , Callum Rice-Coates138km to go: The kilometres are ticking down but little to report in the way of drama so far.
Van der Poel up front
13:18 , Callum Rice-Coates150km to go: Still no breakaway, and there may not be one today. Van der Poel, in the yellow jersey, is close to the front of the peloton.
Four riders in front
13:06 , Callum Rice-Coates157km to go: A group of four riders - Schachmann, van Sintmaartensdijk, Rickaert and Vestrynge - are out in front, about 20 seconds ahead.
Breakaway?
13:05 , Callum Rice-Coates158km to go: Some action as Tim Wellens ups the pace and a few riders follow. There are some hints of a breakaway being established, but no one has established any distance yet.
Slow and steady
12:52 , Callum Rice-Coates164km to go: It’s a leisurely pace at the moment. Riders are chatting and smiling and preserving energy for the sprints to come.
Mohoric back in peloton
12:44 , Callum Rice-Coates167km to go: That didn’t take long. Mohoric is pegged back and they’re all together again. A bunch sprint finish looks likely today.
Rickaert not pushing
12:42 , Callum Rice-Coates169km to go: Rickaert threatened to ride away into the distance but appears to have been told to hang back. Mohoric, meanwhile, is just 20 seconds ahead.
Rickaert goes alone
12:36173km to go: Alpecin–Deceuninck’s Jonas Rickaert shoots away up the road on his own, with the peloton setting off at a relaxed pace. He’s soon joined by Matej Mohoric, and the two establish a breakaway.
Race begins!
12:33 , Callum Rice-Coates175km to go: Here we go then! We’re underway, after a slight delay.
Neutralised start
12:12 , Callum Rice-CoatesThey’re off in Valenciennes with a neutralised start. Tadej Pogacar, in his polka dot jersey, is right at the front.
Weather check
12:10 , Callum Rice-CoatesAs was the case yesterday, it’s wet and blustery to start the stage. The riders are in their waterproofs, prepared to endure the elements again.
General classification
12:02 , Callum Rice-CoatesHere’s how things stand ahead of Stage 3:
TOP 🔟 💛#TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/f1oSDBmYwB
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 6, 2025
Route map and profile
11:54 , Callum Rice-Coates
Stage 3 preview
11:43 , Callum Rice-CoatesStage three of the Tour de France is a reprieve for the pure sprinters after Sunday’s lumpy, constantly up-and-down parcours.
Staying in the north of France, stage three is a 178km run from Valenciennes to Dunkerque, with the finish line near the Calais coast. It’s a largely flat day in the saddle but for the return of the category-four climb of Mont Cassel, so important to the Tour’s organisers that they’ve included it twice, on both stage one and three.
It’s the only categorised ascent of the day, 2.3km at an average gradient of 3.8%, but coming within the final 30km of the stage it could yet cause problems for the less climbing-inclined members of the bunch.
After Mont Cassel the road flattens out again for the run-in to Dunkerque, but if the climb doesn’t shake things up, the possibility of crosswinds on the flat, exposed roads certainly will.
Any echelons that form will present a nightmare for the GC teams, who will need to be switched on all day to prevent their protected riders being caught out on the wrong side of a split, and if the wind is blowing that will radically alter the entire dynamic of the stage: expect plenty of jangling nerves in the bunch and a huge fight for positioning.
Start time
11:24 , Callum Rice-CoatesStage three is set to start around 1.10pm local time (12.10pm BST) and finish at 5.20pm local time (4.20pm BST).
Stage 2 report
11:04 , Callum Rice-CoatesIf you missed yesterday’s long and dramatic stage, read our report to get up to speed:
Van der Poel emerges victorious ahead of Pogacar in Tour de France stage 2
Tour de France Stage 3
08:51 , Harry Latham-CoyleAfter two days of carnage and chaos on the roads of northern France, the Tour peloton might be hoping for slightly calmer proceedings as they negotiate a 178.3km route from Valenciennes to Dunkirk. It’s been a perfect start for Alpecin-Deceuninck with Mathieu van der Poel securing victory yesterday to take the yellow jersey from teammate Jasper Philipsen - and the Belgian sprinter will again be among the favourites today with a fast finish expected in the Channel port city.
The forecast is, however, a little iffy - could rain and headwinds yet create more unpredictable racing?
