Turin, July 7 (LaPresse) – Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quick Step) won the third stage of the Tour de France, a flat 178 km section from Valenciennes to Dunkirk, with a powerful sprint finish. The European champion edged out Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) in a tightly contested photo-finish, with German rider Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) taking third.
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), the former green jersey and winner of the first stage in Lille, did not take part in the sprint after a high-speed crash just before the intermediate sprint in Isbergues forced him to abandon the race. The final kilometers also saw crashes involving Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora hansgrohe) and Davide Ballerini (XDS Astana) in two separate incidents.
No changes in the overall standings: Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) retains the yellow jersey, followed by Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) four seconds behind, and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), third at six seconds.
Tomorrow's fourth stage, 174 km from Amiens Métropole to Rouen, features a series of short climbs in the final 50 km, favoring riders suited to the classics.
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