Tim Merlier is our team’s first rider home at the 77th edition of the Belgian race.
Soudal Quick-Step came at the start of the Opening Weekend’s second race with a lot of confidence after Paul Magnier’s impressive runner-up place in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and our team was prominent from the moment the flag was waved and a breakaway formed.
The likes of Pepijn Reinderink, Martin Svrcek and Warre Vangheluwe worked tirelessly at the front of the peloton to keep the gap around the five-minute mark and to make sure no other attacks would come on the many hills in the first part of the race. When these moves did come, in the last 70 kilometers, it was again the Wolfpack who pushed hard and chased down those up the road, bringing them back after the last difficulty of the day.
Our riders continued to give their best on the way back to Kuurne, but unfortunately, going into the final kilometer of the race, Tim Merlier was separated from his lead-out man Bert Van Lerberghe and as a result he found himself far from the front of the bunch. Despite his best efforts to make up ground in the final corner at 800 meters to go and then on the finishing straight, Tim couldn’t be in the mix for victory anymore, which went to Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), rolling over the line in 15th place.
“The race went almost as we wished and hoped, without too much wind in the finale and with our riders well positioned going into the climbs. The team was very strong, it’s just a pity that things didn’t click in the final part of the race and Tim lost Bert. On the other hand, we can take a lot of confidence from our display and the way we raced, despite not getting the result we wanted”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Iljo Keisse.
Photo credit: ©Billy Ceusters / Getty Images
