Belgium's Tim Merlier secured his third stage victory at the Tour de France on stage 12, winning a chaotic sprint finish. Merlier overtook his compatriot Jasper Philipsen to claim the win, narrowly avoiding a late crash that brought down several riders, including stage 11 winner Soren Waerenskjold and Fernando Gaviria.

This latest triumph adds to Merlier's earlier wins on stages seven and eight, bringing his total to six Tour de France stage victories. "Today I was really focused on the guys who were boxed in yesterday," Merlier stated. "I found some space and I launched."

The unpredictable stage, marked by rain and wind, saw multiple attempted attacks that failed to succeed. Tadej Pogacar maintains a commanding lead in the general classification, ahead of Jonas Vingegaard by 3 minutes 36 seconds. While Merlier is fourth in the green jersey standings, Mads Pedersen continues to lead that competition.