Belgian rider Tim Merlier has won the third stage of the Tour de France in a photo finish and Mathieu Van der Poel has kept the yellow jersey.

Mathieu Van der Poel of the Netherlands edged Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia in a sprint to the finish in Sunday's Stage 2 of the 2025 Tour de France.

The Visma-Lease a Bike team of Jonas Vingegaard were the protagonists, with several contenders for the overall classification — including Remco Evenepoel — distanced as the echelons formed. That main part of the peloton, which also contained Primoz Roglic and Geraint Thomas, ended up losing 49 seconds to the stage winner.