Italy's dry spell at the Tour continues

Belgian European champion Tim Merlier won the third stage of the 112th Tour de France, which was overshadowed by a serious crash by sprint star Jasper Philipsen.

July 07, 2025

From: dpa

The 32-year-old took the stage victory in a bunch sprint after a largely flat 178,3 kilometers between Valenciennes and the port city of Dunkirk, ahead of Italian Jonathan Milan and German pro Phil Bauhaus. In the end, only a few centimeters tipped the scales in favor of the Belgian. Milan would have been Italy's first stage winner in almost six years. The country has now been waiting 112 stages for a Tour victory.

Top sprinter Philipsen crashed heavily about 60 kilometers from the finish and had to abandon the race. The Belgian, who had won the opening stage on Saturday and worn the yellow jersey for a day, crashed shortly before the intermediate sprint after a collision. Philipsen fell on his right shoulder, tearing his entire jersey. Philipsen was subsequently treated by the Tour doctor for several minutes at the side of the road. However, the ten-time Tour stage winner was unable to continue.

Tricky finale on the fourth day of the tour

There were no changes at the top of the overall standings. Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, teammate of Jasper Philipsen, remains ahead of defending champion Tadej Pogacar and Dane Jonas Vingegaard.

Jonathan Milan (left) narrowly lost. © APA/afp / BENOIT TESSIER

A challenging finale awaits on the fourth day of the Tour on Tuesday. The final 50 kilometers from Amiens to Rouen feature two category three and two category four climbs. The world's most famous tour ends in Paris on July 27.

Keywords cycling racing bike Tour de France Tim Merlier