​Tim Merlier clinched stage eight of the Tour de France in a sprint finish, overpowering lone breakaway rider Liam Slock in Bergerac on Saturday and leaving the Belgian with a heartbreaker for the escapee. Slock had broken free with 40 kilometers to go on the 180-kilometer route from Perigueux, but his bid was foiled just before the flamme rouge as Merlier unleashed a second successive stage victory, while Tadej Pogačar again rode safely in the yellow jersey.
As in Friday’s Bordeaux finale, Jasper Philipsen fired from a powerful leadout by his Alpecin-Premier Tech teammate Mathieu van der Poel, but could not convert the long sprint into victory. Merlier, riding for Soudal-QuickStep, sprinted from way back to surge past the field and claim the win. With roughly 400 meters remaining, Merlier was several bike lengths behind after a sharp right-hand turn and needed to close a small gap to reach Philipsen, but his momentum carried him all the way to the line.
“It didn’t feel easy,” Merlier admitted. “I had to fight for position throughout the final. Before the corner I was boxed in and I almost crashed, so I thought it was over. But I came out of the corner with a lot of speed, I saw 250 meters to go and I gave it a push to the finish, and we’ll see. In the last 50 meters I couldn’t push anymore; it was a very tough effort. If you can win one, you can win a second, and I’m happy.”
Biniam Girmay took second place, with Olav Kooij, who won stage five, finishing third as Philipsen settled for a disappointing fourth. Slock’s bold risk had momentarily unsettled the script as he sprinted clear of his breakaway companions Jakub Otruba and Thibault Guernalec on the day’s second categorized climb. Although he at times led by as much as about 90 seconds, Slock clung to a slender advantage and remained about one minute ahead with 10 kilometers to go before losing steam on the streets of Bergerac.
The sprint-addicted stage produced another calm day for Pogačar and the general classification contenders, who faced a more relaxed rhythm after another high-speed finish. Pogačar, chasing a record-tying fifth Tour de France crown, extended his overall lead to 2 minutes 42 seconds over Jonas Vingegaard, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Isaac del Toro sitting 3 minutes 27 seconds behind in third. Remco Evenepoel sat three seconds behind del Toro, remaining within shouting distance of the podium.
As the race moved into its second week, the stage win reinforced Merlier’s strong sprinting form, confirming his status as a top contender in flat-to-rolling finishes. The victory also added to Merlier’s confidence ahead of the next sprint opportunities, where he will continue to pressure the competition and push all-out to convert hard-earned speed into stage honors. For Slock, Bergerac will be remembered as a dramatic moment when a bold breakaway almost rewrote the result, only to be overturned by the relentless push of Merlier in the final meters.