Tour de France: Belgian rider Merlier wins third stage but Philipsen abandons

DUNKERQUE, France (AP) — 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 jersey on Monday.

Defending champion Tadej Pogačar and two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard — the main contenders — finished safely as they rolled in together with the main pack.

But Stage 1 winner Jasper Philipsen abandoned after he broke a collarbone in one of the early crashes.

When the sprinters turned for home into a strong headwind, several crashed near the line at top speeds of 65 kph (40 mph). Merlier just got the front of his wheel in front of Italian Jonathan Milan as they lunged to the line. German rider Phil Bauhaus was third.

It was Merlier's second career stage win on the Tour, four years after his first, which also came on Stage 3.

“It was a big battle and it was difficult to maintain my position, I came from very far back in the last two kilometers," he said. "When I found myself next to Milan, I knew it would be complicated to beat him.”

Van der Poel, who rides for the Alpecin-Deceuninck team, did not contest the sprint the day after narrowly beating Pogacar to win Sunday’s rainy and hilly second stage.

Riders set off on Monday in wet conditions and wore light rain jackets on a 178-kilometer (110-mile) flat route from Valenciennes to coastal Dunkerque.

The pace was slower than the two first days but the conditions were treacherous and, about 50 kilometers from the end, Philipsen was knocked over by Frenchman Bryan Coquard and landed heavily on his side. Coquard was not to blame, however, as he lost balance only after being clipped by a rider overtaking him on the right.

Beside his broken right collarbone, Philipsen might have two broken ribs, his Alpecin–Deceuninck team said, adding he needs surgery.

Coquard looked remorseful when he spoke to media outside the Cofidis team bus after the stage.

“I've seen the images again, I really didn't know what happened in the moment," he said. "I would like to say sorry to Philipsen and Alpecin, even if it was not an intentional act."

Another crash with three kilometers left felled double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, who was able to continue.

Then, with the finish in sight, a few more crashed — including Coquard, who somersaulted off his bike.

The 174-kilometer fourth stage is another hilly one for allrounders like Van der Poel and his former cyclo-cross rival Wout van Aert. It starts from Amiens and ends with five consecutive small climbs to the Normandy city of Rouen.

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The pack with Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar wearing the best climber's dotted jersey rides during 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. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar wearing the best climber's dotted jersey, right, rides with Germany's Nils Politt, center, and France's Lenny Martinez during 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. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Belgium's Tim Merlier, center, and Italy's Jonathan Milan, right, sprint to the finish line during 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. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Belgium's Tim Merlier, left, and Italy's Jonathan Milan cross the finish line during 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. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

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. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)