Belgian rider Tim Merlier won the crash-marred third stage of the Tour de France in a photo finish and Mathieu Van der Poel kept the yellow

Belgium's Tim Merlier celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the third stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 178.3 kilometers (110.8 miles) with start in Valenciennes and finish in Dunkerque, France, Monday, July 7, 2025. (Thibault Camus/AP)

A three-week Grand Tour will always contain natural ebbs and flows, and, for much of Monday’s stage between Valenciennes and Dunkirk, it looked as if the peloton had declared an unofficial rest day, with the riders happy to cruise back towards the coast after a weekend of wind, rain and intensity.