No luck for Tim Merlier on the final flat stage of the race.
The sprinters were hoping for one last shot at this edition as stage 17 got underway from Bollène, but also the breakaway artists were confident that if they played their cards right on the rolling terrain to Valence – where the race returned after four years – they could have a chance of fighting for victory.
Col de Pertuis and Col de Tartaiguille were the two difficulties of the day, and the four men who went in the breakaway knew that the sprinters would struggle there, slowing down the peloton. On both of these climbs, the fast men were dropped, but the teams who wanted a bunch sprint on Wednesday – including Soudal Quick-Step – brought them back and continued to chase the leading quartet.
The rain that made an appearance in the last hour of racing slowed down the bunch a bit and made the roads really sketchy, but the group left nothing to chance and reeled in the attackers with four kilometers to go. Tim Merlier was one of the big favourites, but unfortunately couldn’t contest the sprint, after several riders crashed in front of him just ahead of the flamme rouge. The European Champion, victorious in two stages here, remained on his bike and escaped without any injuries, but didn’t feature in the sprint won by Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) from a small group, rolling over the line one minute later.
“Unfortunately, I lost a couple of positions in a roundabout and I was making my way up the peloton when that crash happened. A lot of riders hit the ground just in front of me, but I could avoid them and stay upright thanks to my cyclo-cross skills. But I am disappointed, because it was the last big chance for the sprinters and I couldn’t be there to fight for the win”, Tim said after the stage.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
