The 33-year-old claimed his second win at the Belgian one-day race after a dominant uphill sprint.
He came. He saw. He conquered. Tim Merlier made it multiple victories this season after another perfect day at the office, finishing off his teammates’ excellent job in Ronde van Limburg. The 178.4km race took in numerous hills and even some tricky cobbled sections, but that didn’t stop the Soudal Quick-Step boys from controlling the breakaway, bringing it back on the last lap, and keeping things together for the finale in Tongeren, the country’s oldest city.
Guided by Bert Van Lerberghe, Merlier came into the spotlight only inside the closing kilometer, just in time for the uphill drag to the line which averaged 4.2%. The former European Champion shot from the pack with more than 250 meters to go, sprinting past all his opponents and putting several bike lengths into them thanks to a massive acceleration that nobody could match on his way to another comfortable success.
It makes me happy to win again, just one week after Scheldeprijs.
“The final kilometers were hectic, because some riders tried to get away, but the team made their presence felt and brought them back. Bert was with me, and brought me in a good position with 1500 meters to go, because we knew how important it was to be there. I moved through the group, just before the last corner, and launched my sprint from the distance. Two wins from four races isn’t that bad, and I’m delighted to finally be back after some tough couple of months”, Tim said after picking up his 44th victory as a Soudal Quick-Step rider.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
