July 20 (Reuters) - 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 gave everything. That's just how it is."
News of Merlier's withdrawal added fresh drama to the day after two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard, the nearest rival of race leader Tadej Pogacar, was forced to drop out after fracturing his collarbone in a crash 20 km from the finish line.
The stage was decided when Belgian Remco Evenepoel beat Pogacar, moving up to second place in the overall standings to sit five minutes behind the Slovenian.
(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Neil Fullick)
