The 2024 Tour de France delivered yet another thrilling display of sprinting prowess on Saturday, as Belgian rider Tim Merlier pulled off a remarkable comeback victory to claim the eighth stage title in a chaotic bunch sprint finish in the Dordogne region. This win marks Merlier’s second consecutive sprint stage victory and his fifth overall Tour de France stage win across just three appearances in cycling’s most prestigious grand tour.
Long before the finish line came into view, the stage was widely predicted to end in a mass sprint showdown. The 175.6-kilometer route through Dordogne, a region famous for its rolling hills, medieval castles, and prehistoric cave art, offered few natural obstacles to break up the peloton, setting the stage for the sport’s top fast finishers to compete for the win.
Early in the stage, a three-man breakaway formed, featuring Belgian Liam Slock, Czech rider Jakub Otruba, and Frenchman Thibault Guernalec. The escape group built a lead of more than two minutes over the peloton at its maximum, but as the race approached the final climbs, their advantage began to melt away. On the 2.2-kilometer Cote du Buisson-de-Cadouin climb, Otruba launched an attack, only for Slock to power past him and strike out on his own solo bid for victory with 40 kilometers remaining.
Slock, who went viral on social media last month after securing his first pro win despite crashing meters before the line at the Gippingen Grand Prix in Switzerland, held off the peloton valiantly for more than 30 kilometers. But the combined pressure of sprinters’ teams chasing a bunch finish dragged him back just 1.3 kilometers from the line, ending his fairy tale bid for an upset win.
In the chaotic final kilometers, Merlier looked certain to miss out on the win after getting boxed in and caught out of position heading into the final turn. Former world champion Mathieu van der Poel worked to lead out his Alpecin-Premier Tech teammate Jasper Philipsen for the sprint, and Merlier was caught on the wrong side of a split when van der Poel accelerated early. But the Soudal Quick-Step sprinter dug deep, launching a searing long-range charge from distance to overhaul every rival ahead of him.
In the final dash to the line, Merlier crossed first ahead of Ethiopian star Biniam Girmay, who finished second, while Dutch sprinter Olav Kooij—winner of the Tour’s first sprint stage on Wednesday—took third. Speaking after the finish, Merlier downplayed claims that he has established himself as the dominant sprinter in this year’s race, highlighting the fight he put in to secure position.
“I needed to fight for my position all the time until the last minute,” Merlier told reporters. “Just before the corner, I was a bit boxed in, and then they almost crashed. I thought it was over, so I gave it a try to come back off the guys who did the lead out. I was coming with so much speed.”
With this back-to-back sprint wins, Merlier now sits just 15 points behind green jersey leader Mads Pedersen of Denmark in the battle for the sprinters’ classification. Reflecting on his performance so far in this year’s Tour, Merlier said: “If you win one, you can win a second, and I’m happy. Three sprint stages, I won two. This is definitely my Tour de France.”