Tim Merlier headlines our roster for Sunday’s appointment.
It’s time for Germany’s only World Tour race, which our team has won on four occasions: 2003, 2005, 2018 and 2019. Traditionally, the event is a good opportunity for the sprinters to add a prestigious one-day race to their palmares, but the presence of the short but steep Waseberg – the last time with 15 kilometers to go – will give to the attackers the perfect launchpad to try and drop the fast men before the finish on Mönckebergstraße, in the very heart of Hamburg.
One of the most in-form sprinters of the season, with eight wins to his name, 30-year-old Tim Merlier will lead Soudal Quick-Step this Sunday at the 205.6km BEMER Cyclassics. The double Belgian Champion will count on a strong team consisting also of Tim Declercq, Yves Lampaert, Florian Sénéchal, Bert Van Lerberghe, Stan Van Tricht and Ethan Vernon, who recently became Elimination World Champion in Glasgow.
“We know this race quite well, we have won it several times with different riders, and we are looking forward to Sunday. There are many possibilities, from a small group arriving at the finish to having a bunch sprint to determine the winner, so we’ll see how things unfold. We come to the start with two fast guys in the squad, and this gives us the possibility to play with the tactics, so hopefully we will be there to fight for victory”, said sports director Wilfried Peeters.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
