Triple stage winner Merlier exits Tour de France in stage 15
Cycling – Tour de France – Stage 12 – Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours to Chalon-sur-Saone – Chalon-sur-Saone , France – July 16, 2026 Soudal – Quick Step’s Tim Merlier in action before winning stage 12 REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
July 20 : Tim Merlier abandoned the Tour de France on Sunday as he succumbed to fatigue in the mountains, although he underscored his status as one of the event’s dominant sprinters with three stages wins.
“After two hard weeks of racing, Tim Merlier has left Tour de France today,” his team, Soudal Quick-Step, said in an X post.
“The Belgian gave us unforgettable memories with three impressive stage victories and showed true fighting spirit every single day.”
Soudal Quick-Step sports director Davide Bramati told Belgian sports website Sporza that Merlier, 33, had a difficult day and was exhausted.
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
“It is a shame that he had to stop, but he wasn’t having a good day,” Bramati said.
“He was empty and couldn’t finish. Maybe something was still possible on Wednesday, but he just had a bad day. He gave everything. That’s just how it is.”
News of Merlier’s withdrawal added fresh drama to the day after two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard, the nearest rival of race leader Tadej Pogacar, was forced to drop out after fracturing his collarbone in a crash 20 km from the finish line.
The stage was decided when Belgian Remco Evenepoel beat Pogacar, moving up to second place in the overall standings to sit five minutes behind the Slovenian.
Source: Reuters
Sign up for our newsletters
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
About The Author
