Tim Merlier was boxed in with just meters to go. His rivals had the lead, the finish line was close, and it looked like the Belgian's shot at a second consecutive Tour de France stage win was slipping away.
Then he found his speed.
The 33-year-old cyclist launched a stunning comeback in Bergerac, France on Saturday, powering past everyone in the final 200 meters to claim victory on stage eight of the Tour de France. It was his second straight win — he had also dominated Friday's stage seven finish — and his fifth career stage victory on cycling's biggest race.
"If you win one, you can win a second, and I'm happy," Merlier said after crossing the line. "Three [sprint] stages, I won two — definitely my Tour de France."
The race started in Perigueux and covered 180.4 kilometers through the Dordogne region, passing by hundreds of the area's famous castles before ending in what was expected to be a pack sprint. For most of the day, Belgian rider Liam Slock led a three-man breakaway, going clear with 40 kilometers left — but the pack caught him just 1.3 kilometers from the finish.
Inside the final 500 meters, Merlier found himself out of position, seemingly out of the race. World champion Mathieu van der Poel was doing everything he could to set up his Alpecin-Premier Tech teammate Jasper Philipsen for the win on the home straight. But Merlier refused to give up.
"I needed to fight for my position all the time until the last minute," Merlier said. "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."
That speed carried him to the front with less than 200 meters remaining. He held off Eritrea's Biniam Girmay — who was still chasing his fourth win of this year's Tour after claiming his first three in 2024 — and Dutch rider Olav Kooij, who finished third.
The victory moved Merlier within 15 points of Mads Pedersen in the race for the green jersey, awarded to the best sprinter. Meanwhile, defending champion Tadej Pogacar kept the overall leader's yellow jersey, staying ahead of Jonas Vingegaard.
Looking ahead, Sunday's ninth stage will be shorter than planned. Organizers shortened the route from 185.5 kilometers to 155.5 kilometers because of an intense heatwave in the Correze region. Riders will now go from Malemort to Ussel in cooler conditions than originally expected.