Tim Merlier completes hat trick with Stage 12 win at Tour de France

Belgium's Tim Merlier won a wild sprint to the finish to claim Stage 12 of the Tour de France on Thursday during an attack-filled ride from Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours to Chalon-sur-Saone.

While the acclaimed sprinter rallied to collect his third stage victory of this race, so many riders were bunched together in the final meters that an accident sent several cyclists to the ground.

Colombia's Fernando Gaviria was the first to hit the pavement and appeared to suffer the worst injuries in a spill that also included Stage 11 winner Soren Waerenskjold.

Merlier came from well back in the pack to catch Jasper Philipsen in a time of three hours, 38 minutes and 53 seconds over 179.1 kilometers. Olav Kooij of the Netherlands squeezed into second place for the second day in a row while Philipsen claimed third.

Nothing changed in the chase for the yellow jersey. Four-time champion Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia continues to hold a 3:36 lead over Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard. Belgium's Remco Evenepoel, Spain's Juan Ayuso and France's Paul Seixas round out the top five.

After back-to-back sprint stages, the race returns to the mountains for Stage 13 on Friday. The highlight of the 205.8-kilometer stage will be the steady climb to Ballon d'Alsace.

--Field Level Media