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Tuesday, July 8, 2025

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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia

Man is the most intelligent of the animals - and the most silly. - Diogenes

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Bill & Carol McGann’s book The Story of the 2024 Tour de France: The Happy Warrior Triumphs is available print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the link on the right.

Current racing:

• July 5 - 27: Tour de France

Upcoming racing:

• July 9 - 13: Tour of Austria

Latest completed racing:

• June 21 - 29: Most national road championships
• June 24: Giro dell'Appennino
• June 15 - 22: Tour de Suisse
• June 18 - 22: Baloise Belgium Tour
• June 8 - 15: Critérium du Dauphiné
• June 13: GP Kanton Aargau
• June 8: Brussels Cycling Classic
• May 9 - June 1: Giro d'Italia

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Tour de France stage three reports

We posted the race organizer's report with the results.

Here's the report from stage winner Tim Merlier's Team Soudal Quick-Step:

Tim Merlier produced a brilliantly executed sprint in the closing meters of the third stage, edging out Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) to rack up his 11th success of the year and confirm that he remains the best sprinter in the world. In doing so, he made sure our squad has now won at least a stage at the last 13 editions of the Grande Boucle, a unique feat among the many teams of the current peloton.

Tim Merlier wins Tour de France stage three. Sirotti photo

“I came here to win a stage and I’m happy I could achieve this goal. It’s my sixth Grand Tour stage victory and my fourth in the Soudal Quick-Step jersey, and I’m glad I could get a win early, after what has been a stressful start to the race. It feels good to be back on the top spot of the podium at the Tour de France!”

Starting from Valenciennes, the stage was calm and quiet until the final kilometers. Despite some early attempts, there wasn’t a proper breakaway on Monday and the peloton set a steady tempo the whole time. The final kilometers were marred by several crashes, including one in which Remco Evenepoel was involved; fortunately, the Olympic Champion didn’t suffer any serious injuries and concluded the stage a couple of minutes later, surrounded by many of his teammates, knowing he would get the peloton’s time.

At the front of the race, after Bert Van Lerberghe seriously stretched out the group, Tim Merlier made his way to the front and waited for the final 150 meters to pounce in the headwind. The European Champion showed a fantastic turn of legs as he came on the outside in a superb aerodynamic position, hitting a maximum speed of 66.4km/h to claim the win in Dunkerque, where the Tour de France returned after 24 years.

“It was a really hard battle. It was difficult to be in position and I lost Bert before the last corner. The team did an incredible job until the last five kilometers but then the real chaos started and it was really difficult to find a good position. I had to fight back to come in position while being in the wind all the time, which took a lot of energy. With 500 meters to go, I found a bit of slipstream and I just did my best when I launched my sprint. It’s a great day for the Wolfpack and we can be proud”, concluded the 32-year-old after he signed off Soudal Quick-Step’s 125th Grand Tour stage victory.

Here's the Tour report from third-place Phil Bauhaus' Team Bahrain Victorious:

The third stage of the 2025 Tour de France may have been the flattest (barring the ITTs), but that didn’t prevent a dramatic finale in the seaside town of Dunkerque, with Team Bahrain Victorious’ sprinter Phil Bauhaus taking a podium place behind Tim Merlier (SQS) and Jonathan Milan (LTK).

The very close finish. Sirotti photo

The day had started from Valenciennes in torrential rain once again, and as the peloton crossed km0, Matej Mohorič was the first to jump off the front. With a lack of support for the Slovenian the early move was short lived, but it set the tone for a lively 178.3 km for the 182 riders left in the race.

The rain was soon replaced by clear skies, and the bunch rolled northwest without too much incident for the next 118 km before a big crash at the intermediate sprint in Énocq saw Jasper Philipsen (ADQ) become the eighth rider to abandon Le Tour whilst leading the points competition. We wish the Belgian star a swift recovery and return to racing.

There was only one categorised climb on the day’s profile, the C4 Côte de Cassel (2.3km @ 3.8%), which came 31 km from the finish. Tim Wellens (UAE) soloed to take the single point, before returning to the pack as the speed increased on the approach to Dunkerque.

There were more crashes along the way, most significantly with 2 km to go, but Bauhaus had been positioned so well by Robert Stannard, Fred Wright and the rest of the Bahrain boys that he was able to stay clear of danger. Under the ‘flamme rouge’ (the last kilometre), the German was 11th wheel, but bided his time and skilfully moved up to be dead centre with the favourites as the line beckoned.

Taking advantage of the Lidl Trek train, Phil was slightly hampered on the inside of the last right hand bend, but managed to extricate himself as yet another multi-rider collision happened on the left with 300m to go.
From then it was a battle of pure power, as Merlier and Milan were in front with Bauhaus breathing down their necks at the very end.

“To be honest I didn’t see any of the crashes, which shows how well-positioned I was by the boys. I am really happy with everyone, especially after the first stage when we were all maybe a little disappointed. We got our things together yesterday and now also today and I think it’s a great result for us.

I need to be honest and say that with Milan and Merlier there was nothing I could do. I kept believing, because of the headwind, and I did the maximum I could do. I think everyone is quite happy, including me”

Whilst that first Grand Tour stage win remains elusive, it was another impressive showing from the 30 year old, for whom (with three second places and now five thirds) victory comes ever closer.

Team Visma | Lease a Bike posted this Tour report:

Team Visma | Lease a Bike and leader Jonas Vingegaard got through the third stage of the Tour de France without any problems. The Dutch cycling formation did not interfere in the bunch sprint, which was won by Tim Merlier.

After a spectacular opening weekend of the 112th Tour de France cycling fans had to wait a long time for spectacle on Monday. The mostly flat stage from Valenciennes to Dunkirk unfolded as expected, ending in a bunch sprint. For a long time there seemed to be no problem, but with sixty kilometers to go, the peloton was suddenly startled by a crash of Jasper Philipsen - who was forced to leave the Tour de France.

Then the sprinters' teams took over and the fast men could get ready for the battle for the day's victory. Two crashes marred the finale, in which Tim Merlier eventually won. Wout van Aert and Team Visma | Lease a Bike did not compete for the win and crossed the finish line safely. In the general classification, Jonas Vingegaard and Matteo Jorgenson are still in third and fifth place, respectively.

Jonas Vingegaard before the stage start.

“We had headwind for most of the day, which created some nervousness in the bunch”, Head of Racing Grischa Niermann explains. "We also saw that in the finale as well, with the crashes. Today was a day where you could really only lose. Luckily, we didn't and we all crossed the finish line safely. It was another strong performance from the team."

Van Aert adds: “In the finale, we drifted a bit towards the back with the team. Overall, I was able to recover well today. Hopefully I’ll feel a bit better tomorrow, so that I can fight for the stage win.” The peloton heads to Rouen tomorrow, where five categorized climbs await just before reaching the finish.

And here's the Tour report from Team Picnic-PostNL:

A long day in the saddle awaited the peloton as they battled into a headwind for most of the stage, but Team Picnic PostNL remained calm and composed, biding their time for the finale. Avoiding the crashes in the bunch, the team held onto the right side of the road as the race picked up the pace and charged towards the finish in Dunkerque.

Great early positioning work by the squad saw the team’s sprint group well to the fore in the final five kilometres, before Sean Flynn made a decisive move to bring the rest of the team up. From there, Niklas Märkl guided Tobias Lund Andresen and Pavel Bittner into the wheel of Lidl-Trek’s lead-out, before Lund Andresen then took over once those ahead stopped their efforts. Piloting and guiding each other perfectly through the twists and turns, Lund Andresen launched Bittner who opened up at around 250 metres to go; not wanting to get boxed in from those coming off his wheel. Giving everything he had, Bittner crossed the line for a strong fifth place, while Lund Andresen followed home in 11th.

The peloton mops up an early breakaway, catching Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious.

Back at the bus Bittner said: “Today we went into the race of going for a sprint with me. It was quite an easy stage actually because there was a headwind all day, and there was no proper breakaway. Towards the final we all stayed calm and together. Once the time came we chose the right side. I think on TV it looked really nervous but for Tobias, Niklas and me it was really smooth coming into the final, I didn’t really have to do anything. I really appreciate the effort from the guys. Tobias brought me all the way to around 250 metres to go and I knew that I had to launch because otherwise I would get caught up in the washing machine with the other sprinters.

"It was a really cool moment to come into the finish sprint as first and second on the road, I will remember that for a long time, and I hope to get more chances like this. Merlier and Milan were really strong and came around me, but I don’t regret anything today; the boys were great. For a first real Tour de France sprint, this was promising and I’m hoping we can do more together in this Tour de France.”

Team Picnic PostNL coach Matt Winston added: “I’m really satisfied, I think the teamwork was really good. You saw that the guys came together in a good way coming into the final. They stayed calm and kept in that bubble, then made their move when it counted and came to the front, avoided the crashes, and enabled Pavel to sprint. All you can ask is that your sprint finisher starts their sprint with a clear line ahead that they aren’t blocked, and can just really go for it and that’s what we saw. It was a fantastic lead-out by the guys and a nice sprint from Pavel. We saw yesterday also with Oscar’s sixth place that although we’ve got a young team here, we have guys that are hungry and that can and want to race, so we’ll look to keep this up for the rest of the Tour de France.”

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