Image: from Lukáš Ronald Lukács X @lucxsronald
By Open Chronicle Sports
Tim Merlier confirmed his status as the fastest sprinter in the 2026 Tour de France by claiming a second consecutive stage victory on Stage 8, overpowering his rivals in a dramatic finish in Bergerac.
The Soudal Quick Step rider launched a devastating acceleration from deep inside the leading group and passed the other contenders with room to spare. Biniam Girmay finished second for NSN Cycling, while Olav Kooij of Decathlon CMA CGM completed the podium.
Merlier’s success came one day after his victory in Bordeaux and gave him a fifth career Tour de France stage win. He also became the first pure sprinter to win consecutive Tour stages since Jasper Philipsen achieved the feat in 2023.
Tim Merlier closes 20 meter gap with 350 meter monster sprint and wins – probably the most insane thing I've seen in this sport. Still the best sprinter ever.#TDF2026pic.twitter.com/sj1jQZZqnj
— ً (@Na1chaca) July 11, 2026
A stage designed for the sprinters
Stage 8 covered 180.4 kilometres between Périgueux and Bergerac, with only 1,150 metres of climbing. The route included the Côte de Domme and the Côte du Buisson de Cadouin, but neither ascent was difficult enough to prevent the fast men from targeting a mass finish.
Three riders formed the main breakaway. Liam Slock of Lotto Intermarché was joined by Thibault Guernalec of TotalEnergies and Jakub Otruba of Caja Rural Seguros RGA. The trio quickly established an advantage of almost two minutes while the sprint teams organized the pursuit behind them.
Alpecin Premier Tech initially controlled the peloton, with XDS Astana and Picnic PostNL also contributing to the chase. Soudal Quick Step later moved forward to support Merlier’s attempt to secure another victory.
Slock’s brave solo effort
After the final classified climb, Slock attacked his breakaway companions and continued alone toward Bergerac.
The Belgian maintained a lead of approximately 30 seconds with five kilometres remaining, raising hopes that he might deny the sprinters. The peloton, however, continued to close rapidly, led by XDS Astana on behalf of Max Kanter.
Slock was finally caught around 1.5 kilometres from the finish after spending approximately 175 kilometres in the breakaway. His aggressive ride earned him the stage’s combativity award.
Merlier attacks from behind
Max Kanter, Jasper Philipsen and Olav Kooij entered the final section in strong positions. Mathieu van der Poel delivered Philipsen near the front, but the Alpecin rider delayed his acceleration.
Merlier seized the opportunity. Starting from approximately tenth position, he moved rapidly through the field and produced an explosive sprint that none of his opponents could match.
The Belgian crossed the line in 3 hours, 52 minutes and 50 seconds, ahead of Girmay and Kooij.
Pogačar remains safely in yellow
Tadej Pogačar completed the stage safely within the peloton, finishing 49th without losing time to his principal general classification rivals.
The UAE Team Emirates XRG leader retained the yellow jersey and maintained his advantage of 2 minutes and 42 seconds over Jonas Vingegaard of Team Visma Lease a Bike.
The flat nature of the stage meant there were no significant changes among the leading contenders, allowing Pogačar, Vingegaard, Isaac del Toro and Remco Evenepoel to conserve energy before the race returns to more demanding terrain.
Stage 8 podium
- Tim Merlier, Soudal Quick Step, 3:52:50
- Biniam Girmay, NSN Cycling, same time
- Olav Kooij, Decathlon CMA CGM, same time
Merlier’s back-to-back victories have transformed the sprint battle at the 2026 Tour de France. With his speed, confidence, and ability to win without a perfect lead-out, the Belgian has emerged as the rider every rival must now defeat in the remaining flat stages.