Our rider continues to top the points rankings after two days of racing.
The Tour de Hongrie continued with another stage that on paper suited the sprinters, although the 600m uphill drag to the line, where the gradient reached 5%, was always likely to bring the puncheurs into play. As it turned out, it did, but only after the peloton fragmented due to the crosswinds in the final 25 kilometers.
A small group broke away, while the rest of the riders began organising a chase. Soudal Quick-Step put in a big effort to bring yellow jersey Tim Merlier back to the front and thus give him a chance to make it two wins in as many days, but one rider managed to stay away after taking a flyer in the last kilometers and holding off the chasers for just a couple of meters.
Victorious in three races this season, Merlier took sixth place on the line and donned the green jersey awarded to the leader of the points classification. The 33-year-old Belgian will have another chance to fight for a good result and increase his buffer on Friday, when the race travels from Kaposvar to Szekszard.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
