Tim Merlier will make his final appearance as reigning European Champion in Germany.
Friday’s Münsterland Giro – the last German race of the season – will see the peloton start from Stromberg before tackling five small climbs in the first part of the route, the perfect terrain for a breakaway to form. After leaving behind these hills, the race is set to enter on the flat roads that will take it to the center of Münster – the country’s bicycle capital and the place where the Peace of Westphalia was signed almost four centuries ago.
For Tim Merlier, it will mark just his third start here, and at the same time, his final outing with the European Champion jersey on his shoulders. During his reign, Merlier won a total of 17 races – the most recent of which was Omloop van het Houtland, last week – and the Belgian will look to conclude his time as continental champion with another strong result.
Tim will rely on a strong Soudal Quick-Step team consisting of Ayco Bastiaens, Yves Lampaert, Bert Van Lerberghe, Jordi Warlop, as well as two riders coming from our feeder squad: Senne Hulsmans, who’s won three races this year, and Matijs Van Strijthem.
“We travel to the start of the Münsterland Giro with a solid roster as we aim for a bunch sprint with Tim, who’ll wear for the last time this year his beautiful European Champion jersey. There’s some climbing in the first part of the race, but the main difficulty could be the wind, which in the past has altered the dynamic of the race, together with the rain. Regardless of the scenario, we are confident and determined to give everything in order to get a nice result at the end of the day”, explained sports director Dries Devenyns.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
