The Belgian fast man was again in a league of his own.
Tim Merlier racked up his 17th victory as European Champion, a remarkable achievement for the 32-year-old Belgian, who displayed his extraordinary speed in the closing meters of Omloop van het Houtland – our squad’s last one-day race of the month. In doing so, Merlier delivered Soudal Quick-Step’s third success at the Belgian event, which on Wednesday ran its 79th edition.
Almost 200 kilometers in length and consisting of a total of twelve laps of two different circuits, Omloop van het Houtland was controlled from start to finish by our team, who reeled in the five-man breakaway with more than 30 kilometers to go and kept things together also in the closing kilometers, when three riders tried to put pressure on the peloton and derail the sprinters’ plans.
The Wolfpack remained at the front the entire time, even after the catch was made, and produced a perfect lead-out for Merlier, who showed again on the uphill drag to the line why he is the best sprinter in the world as he powered from the reduced leading group to a clear victory in Lichtervelde.
“I felt much better today than last week and I’m delighted I could get the win for the team, who were incredible in the way they pulled the entire day and kept me in a good position. It’s fantastic to reach 15 victories this year, and it would be a dream to conclude the season as the most successful rider in the peloton. It won’t be easy, but I have a few more opportunities, starting with next week’s Münsterland Giro, and I will give everything to finish at the top of the most wins individual classification”, a happy Tim said after delivering Soudal Quick-Step’s 42nd success of the year.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
