Paris, July 14 -- Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) secured his second Tour de France win in a week, denying Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) a double of his own, thanks to deft maneuvering and a serious turn of speed inside the final 200m of the stage. As sure as it was to finish in a bunch sprint in Chateauxroux, the scene of three Mark Cavendish victories, it almost didn't. Mathieu van der Poel and his Alpecin-Deceuninck team-mate Jonas Rickaert were the only two riders to leave the confines of the peloton at Kilometre 0.
The pair spent the entire stage out front, until Rickaert faded with 6 km to go, leaving Van der Poel with a lone fight for the stage win. The winner a week ago in Boulogne-sur-Mer was only caught 700m from the line, before th...