​1 / 8July 5: Stage 2 – Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s Jonas Vingegaard wearing the Yellow jersey before the start of stage 2 of the Tour de France.(Stephanie Lecocq, Reuters)Stage 12 of the Tour de France unfolded over a predominantly flat 179.1-kilometer (111.3-mile) route from Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours to Chalon-sur-Saône, offering yet another opportunity for the fast men of the peloton.Belgian speedster Tim Merlier made the most of his chance, unleashing a perfectly timed sprint to claim his third stage victory of this year’s Tour.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementUnder overcast skies, the peloton rolled out with immediate aggression. Swiss rider Mauro Schmid launched the first attack straight from the start, quickly joined by Marco Haller, Baptiste Veistroffer and Jonas Abrahamsen. The opening 10 kilometers saw a flurry of breakaway attempts, but none were able to stick as the sprinters’ teams kept the race tightly controlled.The riders soon faced the day’s first challenge: the Category 4 climb up the Côte de Lanty, where Veistroffer crested the summit in first and took the initial mountain point.Not long after, the peloton tackled another Category 4 climb at Côte de Cuzy, with Veistroffer again securing the King of the Mountains point. Sensing an opportunity, Veistroffer went solo with about 50 kilometers remaining. However, the pace of the chasing pack reeled him in with just over 33 kilometers to go.As the finish line neared, the stage unfolded with a tense sprint followed by a crash in the last 500 meters, taking down dozens of riders. Tim Merlier sprinted to the finish, securing his third Tour victory.Belgian rider Tim Merlier cycles to the finish line to win the 12th stage ahead of Alpecin – Premier Tech team’s Belgian rider Jasper Philipsen (left) and Decathlon CMA CGM Team’s Dutch rider Olav Kooij (right) during the Tour de France cycling race on July 16, 2026.Here is how the leaderboard stands heading into Stage 13.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFinal results of the 179.1-kilometer Stage 12 from the Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours to Chalon-sur-Saône, at the 2026 Tour de France on Thursday, July 16.*Results and times are via Tour de France website*1Tim MerlierSoudal Quick-Step03h 38′ 53”2Olav KooijDecathlon CMA CGM Team03h 38′ 53”3Jasper PhilipsenAlpecin-Premier Tech03h 38′ 53”4Biniam GirmayNSN Cycling Team03h 38′ 53”5Milan FretinCOFIDIS03h 38′ 53”6Anthony TurgisTOTALENERGIES03h 38′ 53”7Max KanterXDS ASTANA TEAM03h 38′ 53”8Clément RussoGROUPAMA-FDJ United03h 38′ 53”9Mads PedersenLIDL-TREK03h 38′ 53”10Huub ArtzLOTTO INTERMARCHE03h 38′ 53”Through Stage 12RankRiderTeamTime Gap1Tadej PogačarUAE Team Emirates – XRG43h 04′ 01”2Jonas VingegaardTeam Visma | Lease a Bike+ 03′ 36”3Remco EvenpoelRed Bull – BORA – hansgrohe+ 04′ 06″4Juan AyusoLidl – Trek+ 04′ 22″5Paul SeixasDecathlon CMA CGM Team+ 04′ 35″6Florian LipowitzRed Bull – BORA – hansgrohe+ 04′ 44″7Isaac Del ToroUAE Team Emirates – XRG+ 05′ 08″8