Triple stage winner Merlier exits Tour de France in stage 15

July 20 : Tim Merlier abandoned the Tour de France on Sunday as he succumbed to fatigue in the mountains, although he underscored his status as one of the event's dominant sprinters with three stages wins."After two hard weeks of racing, Tim Merlier has left Tour de France today," his team, Soudal Quick-Step, said in an X post."The Belgian gave us unforgettable memories with three impressive stage victories and showed true fighting spirit every single day." Soudal Quick-Step sports director Davide Bramati told Belgian sports website Sporza that Merlier, 33, had a difficult day and was exhausted. "It is a shame that he had to stop, but he wasn't having a good day," Bramati said."He was empty and couldn't finish. Maybe something was still possible on Wednesday, but he just had a bad day. He