Tour de France: Belgian rider Merlier wins third stage, Pogačar finishes safely

DUNKERQUE, France (AP) – Belgian rider Tim Merlier won the third stage of the Tour de France in a photo finish and Mathieu Van der Poel kept the yellow jersey on Monday.

Defending champion Tadej Pogačar and two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard – the main contenders – finished safely as they rolled in together with the main pack.

When the sprinters turned for home into a strong headwind, several crashed near the line at top speeds of 65 kph (40 mph). Merlier just got the front of his wheel in front of Italian Jonathan Milan as they lunged to the line. German rider Phil Bauhaus was third.

It was Merlier’s second career stage win on the Tour, four years after his first, which also came on Stage 3.

“It was a big battle and it was difficult to maintain my position, I came from very far back in the last two kilometers,” he said. “When I found myself next to Milan, I knew it would be complicated to beat him.”

Van der Poel, who rides for the Alpecin-Deceuninck team, did not contest the sprint the day after narrowly beating Pogacar to win Sunday’s rainy and hilly second stage.

Riders set off on Monday in wet conditions and wore light rain jackets on a 178-kilometer (110-mile) flat route from Valenciennes to the coastal city of Dunkerque.

The pace was slower than the two first days but the conditions were treacherous and, about 50 kilometers from the end, Stage 1 winner Jasper Philipsen abandoned.

The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider was knocked over by Frenchman Bryan Coquard and landed heavily on his side. Coquard was not to blame, however, as he lost balance only after being clipped by a rider overtaking him on the right.

“I’ve seen the images again, I really didn’t know what happened in the moment,” Coquard said. “I would like to say sorry to Philipsen and Alpecin, even if it was not an intentional act.”

Another crash with three kilometers left felled double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, who was able to continue.

Then, with the finish in sight, a few more crashed – including Coquard, who somersaulted off his bike.

The 174-kilometer fourth stage is another hilly one for allrounders like Van der Poel and his former cyclo-cross rival Wout van Aert. It starts from Amiens and ends with five consecutive small climbs to the Normandy city of Rouen.

This race is entirely in France, with no stages held abroad as in previous years, and ends on July 27 in Paris. ___