The European Champion sprinted to third behind the breakaway at the Antwerp Port Epic.
Fresh off his dominant Brussels Cycling Classic victory, where he took his eighth win of the season, Tim Merlier was again in the mix on home turf, powering to a strong top-three finish at the fifth edition of Antwerp Port Epic.
The race was an insane one due to the combination of cobblestone sectors and unpaved roads which splintered the peloton with around 80 kilometers to go, leaving many riders to fight in order to make it back. Soudal Quick-Step remained attentive the whole time and made sure of keeping in check all the gaps, and thanks to an impressive team effort, made sure Tim Merlier was well-positioned in the first group, which at one point numbered just 25 riders.
A larger group joined them later, and from there two men decided to roll the dice with 30 kilometers to go. Our team was the one chasing with Gil Gelders and Yves Lampaert and managed to reduce the gap to just seven seconds a few kilometers from the finish, but a crash in which the former was involved shifted the momentum to the two leaders, who managed to stay away. The victory went to Timo Kielich (Alpecin-Deceuninck), while the chasers arrived a few seconds later and the European Champion won the group’s sprint for third place.
“We were confident in our chances to close the gap, but the crash changed everything. Prior to that, I was thinking of joining those at the front, but it wasn’t possible afterwards. It wasn’t to be for me today, but I hope the team will soon celebrate our 1000th victory. The important thing for me is that I felt good also today and the way I’m feeling makes me confident for the next appointments of the month”, Tim said after the race.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
