Belgium’s Tim Merlier bolted to his second straight Tour de France stage win on a sweltering Saturday, becoming the first cyclist in three years to win two in a row.

The 33-year-old sprinter was in the main pack that caught up to lone breakaway rider and countryman Liam Slock with about 1.5 kilometers left in the relatively flat 180.4-kilometer Stage 8 trek from Perigueux to Bergerac. Slock joined a breakaway just as the stage began.

Just as he did in Stage 7, Merlier made his decisive move near the finish line as he earned his fifth career stage win. He became the first to go back-to-back since Jasper Philipsen in the opening days of the 2023 Tour de France.

Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay finished second and Dutchman Olav Kooij was third. Kooij won Stage 5 in a sprint on Wednesday.

Four-time champion Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey. Two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark is two minutes and 42 seconds behind, followed by Mexico’s Isaac del Toro in third place.

The area is under an extreme high temperature warning, with Bergerac hitting 97 degrees on Saturday. Because of the scorching heat, officials announced a change to the course ahead of a hilly Stage 9 on Sunday. The route was reduced from 185.5 to 155.5 kilometers and will now run from Malemort to Ussel.

“This decision has been made necessary by the exceptional weather conditions. It aims to ensure that the race can take place under conditions compatible with the red heatwave alert,” organizers said.

–Field Level Media