Rider suffers fractured collarbone in chaotic end to Tour de France stage

Belgian rider Tim Merlier secured his third stage victory at the Tour de France on Thursday, winning stage 12 in a chaotic sprint that saw several cyclists fall. Defending champion Tadej Pogačar navigated the mayhem to retain his substantial overall lead.

The crash occurred in the final stretch as riders vied for position. Colombian Fernando Gaviria clipped another rider's wheel and went down, bringing down Norwegian rider Soeren Waerenskjold. Four other cyclists behind them were unable to avoid the pile-up and were thrown over their handlebars. Gaviria, 31, sustained a fractured left collarbone and has withdrawn from the race, according to his Caja Rural-Seguros RGA team.

"There was a lot of chaos and a mix of teams at the front of the peloton," said Gaviria's teammate Stefano Oldani, describing the scene. "I saw him lying on the road next to two Lotto (team) riders and I realised straight away that he'd taken a nasty hit."

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There was a lot of chaos and a mix of teams at the front of the peloton. I saw him lying on the road next to two Lotto (team) riders and I realised straight away that he'd taken a nasty hit.

Pogačar continues to lead the general classification by a comfortable margin. He is 3 minutes and 36 seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard, and 4 minutes and 6 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel in third place. Stage 12 was a mostly flat 179km route ending in Chalon-sur-Saône, France, after starting from the Magny-Cours track.

Merlier expressed that having his wife and young son present at the race provided significant motivation. "Winning for them is special," Merlier said. "I managed to find the opening, I had to stay calm and wait. It was a finale and a finish that suited me very well."

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Winning for them is special. I managed to find the opening, I had to stay calm and wait. It was a finale and a finish that suited me very well.