UAE Tour: Merlier, just like last year

UAE Tour: Merlier, just like last year

Tim Merlier won again the opening stage of the UAE Tour, the season’s second World Tour stage race, but this time around there was no need for a photo-finish like it was the case in 2023, as the 31-year-old Belgian finished several bike lengths ahead of his opponents after another phenomenal sprint that confirmed he is one of the fastest riders in the world.

Running from Al Dhafra Walk to Liwa, the stage was quiet until the last kilometers, when things became hectic on the wide roads leading to the finish. The teams were expecting crosswinds from the start of the day, just like last year, but the only wind to make an appearance was on the run-in to the line and it blew from the front, meaning that timing was key, especially as the road went up in the closing 500 meters.

The best sprinter of last edition, Tim worked his way through the peloton and remained calm even when the others decided to open with more than 300 meters to go. Powering down the right side of the road, the double Belgian Champion came back like a rocket and passed the other sprinters with incredible ease, taking a clear victory – his third of the year, after the ones he picked up at the Saudi Tour.

“The UAE Tour is a World Tour race and it’s always nice when you get your first win in this type of event. As it was chaotic out there, I lost my lead-out a bit and had to make a decision inside the final 500 meters, so I went on the right side, which turned out to be the best thing to do. The others started their effort early, but I was confident in my legs and had the speed to come back and overtake them. I’m happy with this win, I am more relaxed now and I’m already looking forward to the next opportunities”, said Tim, who leads both the general and the points classification after his 14th victory in the Soudal Quick-Step jersey.

 

Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images

Race details

1 Tim Merlier
Soudal Quick-Step
3:09:55
2 Arvid de Kleijn
Tudor Pro Cycling Team
0:00
3 Jakub Mareczko
Team Corratec - Vini Fantini
0:00
4 Fabio Jakobsen
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL
0:00
5 Sam Welsford
BORA - hansgrohe
0:00
6 Fernando Gaviria Rendon
Movistar Team
0:00
7 Juan Sebastián Molano Benavides
UAE Team Emirates
0:00
8 Simone Consonni
Lidl - Trek
0:00
9 Phil Bauhaus
Bahrain - Victorious
0:00
10 Jarne Van de Paar
Lotto Dstny
0:00
27 Bert Van Lerberghe
Soudal Quick-Step
0:00
38 Ilan Van Wilder
Soudal Quick-Step
0:00
43 Jan Hirt
Soudal Quick-Step
0:00
61 Mauri Vansevenant
Soudal Quick-Step
0:00
76 Ayco Bastiaens
Soudal Quick-Step
0:00
77 Jordi Warlop
Soudal Quick-Step
0:00
1 Tim Merlier
Soudal Quick-Step
3:09:45
2 Arvid de Kleijn
Tudor Pro Cycling Team
0:04
3 Mark Stewart
Team Corratec - Vini Fantini
0:04
4 Jakub Mareczko
Team Corratec - Vini Fantini
0:06
5 Marco Murgano
Team Corratec - Vini Fantini
0:06
6 Pello Bilbao López de Armentia
Bahrain - Victorious
0:09
7 Loe van Belle
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
0:09
8 Fabio Jakobsen
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL
0:10
9 Sam Welsford
BORA - hansgrohe
0:10
10 Fernando Gaviria Rendon
Movistar Team
0:10
31 Bert Van Lerberghe
Soudal Quick-Step
0:10
42 Ilan Van Wilder
Soudal Quick-Step
0:10
46 Jan Hirt
Soudal Quick-Step
0:10
63 Mauri Vansevenant
Soudal Quick-Step
0:10
77 Ayco Bastiaens
Soudal Quick-Step
0:10
78 Jordi Warlop
Soudal Quick-Step
0:10
1 Tim Merlier
Soudal Quick-Step
20 pt
2 Mark Stewart
Team Corratec - Vini Fantini
16 pt
3 Arvid de Kleijn
Tudor Pro Cycling Team
16 pt
4 Jakub Mareczko
Team Corratec - Vini Fantini
12 pt
5 Marco Murgano
Team Corratec - Vini Fantini
10 pt
6 Fabio Jakobsen
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL
9 pt
7 Sam Welsford
BORA - hansgrohe
7 pt
8 Fernando Gaviria Rendon
Movistar Team
5 pt
9 Loe van Belle
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
4 pt
10 Juan Sebastián Molano Benavides
UAE Team Emirates
4 pt
1 Loe van Belle
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
3:09:54
2 Jarne Van de Paar
Lotto Dstny
0:01
3 Olav Kooij
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
0:01
4 Tim van Dijke
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
0:01
5 Arne Marit
Intermarché - Wanty
0:01
6 Tobias Lund Andresen
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL
0:01
7 Valentin Paret-Peintre
Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team
0:01
8 Andrii Ponomar
Team Corratec - Vini Fantini
0:01
9 Lennert Van Eetvelt
Lotto Dstny
0:01
10 Maikel Zijlaard
Tudor Pro Cycling Team
0:01
11 Ilan Van Wilder
Soudal Quick-Step
0:01
15 Mauri Vansevenant
Soudal Quick-Step
0:01
1 Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 9:29:45
2 Team Visma | Lease a Bike 0:00
3 Soudal Quick-Step 0:00
4 Team Corratec - Vini Fantini 0:00
5 Movistar Team 0:00
6 Lidl - Trek 0:00
7 BORA - hansgrohe 0:00
8 Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team 0:00
9 UAE Team Emirates 0:00
10 Cofidis 0:00

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