Cycling Photography Gallery

☿ *Cycling — Fri, 17 Jul 2026*

Merlier timed his run to perfection on what became a pure sprinter's battlefield, holding off Kooij and Philipsen in a finish tight enough that the gaps tell you nothing — the order tells you everything. Philipsen, a man who has owned stages like this in recent years, had to settle for third, which is the kind of result that quietly shifts momentum in a sprint hierarchy. Kooij continues to announce himself as the next genuine threat in this discipline, a rider who belongs in that conversation now, not in two years' time. Watch the GC riders tomorrow — after a day the pure sprinters owned completely, the climbers will be sharpening their knives.

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🏁 *TOUR DE FRANCE* — Stage 12
🥇 Tim Merlier _(Soudal Quick-Step)_ _(3:38:53)_
🥈 Olav Kooij _(Decathlon CMA CGM Team)_ _(s.t.)_
🥉 Jasper Philipsen _(Alpecin - Premier Tech)_ _(s.t.)_

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