Despite some accelerations in the bunch on the final two climbs of the day, Merlier remained relatively well positioned, before timing his final sprint to perfection to see off Arnaud Demare and
Alberto Dainese among others. “With about seventy kilometres to go, the peloton got very nervous. Afterwards, there were a few attacks on the hills, but after that we organized it well. We stayed well at the front and I got the perfect lead-put in the last kilometre,” analyses the first Maillot Jaune of Paris-Nice 2025 in conclusion. "Am I the best sprinter in the world? That's not for me to say, you have to decide that. I just try to do my best and win as much as possible."