"Didn't expect this, because I'm certainly not in top form" - Tim Merlier dominates sprint rivals at Baloise Belgium Tour despite post-Giro tiredness
Cycling
Tim Merlier has been in electric form in 2024 and that continued on stage 2 of the Baloise Belgium Tour as the Soudal - Quick-Step sprinter dominated all rivals to take his 11th victory of the campaign.
"I felt it was a good moment. There wasn't much speed due to the headwind and I think I had everything under control until the last kilometre," analyses the 31-year-old Belgian of the sprint finale in his post-stage interview afterwards. "I chose my position the way I wanted and deliberately sat a little further in that last corner, because I knew it was possible. That was a bit of a gamble, but it turned out well."
After having taken three wins at the recent Giro d'Italia, including on the final stage in Rome, Merlier fought off tired legs and competition from the likes of Jasper Philipsen and Olav Kooij to take his first career stage win at the Baloise Belgium Tour.
"I have ridden this stage here many times, but this is my first win here in the Baloise Belgium Tour. That's been checked off," he says with a smile. "I really didn't expect this, because I'm certainly not in top form. I was a bit afraid of my sprint, which might have slowed down a bit compared to the fresher men here. The best form has disappeared after the Giro d'Italia, but if you win here, you cannot be disappointed."
Results: 2024 Baloise Belgium Tour stage 2
| 1 | MERLIER Tim | Soudal Quick-Step | 20 | 03:59:22 |
| 2 | PHILIPSEN Jasper | Alpecin-Deceuninck | 15 | + 00 |
| 3 | KOOIJ Olav | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | 10 | + 00 |
| 4 | BARBIER Pierre | Philippe Wagner-Bazin | 5 | + 00 |
| 5 | TAMINIAUX Lionel | Lotto Dstny | 3 | + 00 |
| 6 | TEUNISSEN Mike | Intermarché-Wanty | + 00 | |
| 7 | WÆRENSKJOLD Søren | Uno-X Mobility | + 00 | |
| 8 | THEUNS Edward | Lidl-Trek | + 00 | |
| 9 | THIJSSEN Gerben | Intermarché-Wanty | + 00 | |
| 10 | KOPECKY Matyas | Team Novo Nordisk | + 00 |
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
- A mindset that reminds me of Tim Declerq. I loved watching that guy just pound away the kilometers, hours at the front, holding an entire breakaway in check on his own. Bjerg seems like a similar guy. Curling, the team sport.RidesHills04-11-2026
- He will be lol, but he can still win on the climbs hahaawp04-11-2026
- I would love to have his inconsistency. How many wins this year? 2 TdF stages, a WC, a Euro championship, San Sebastian, multiple wins early year. Monument podiums. I'd take it. I don't think he has a chance in the TdF, but he is still amazing.mij04-11-2026
- He's not going to win the TdF. Maybe if they make every single stage a TT he could win. But I still believe Tadej would just sharpen his TT skills and win.mij04-11-2026
- You beat me to it. Should he make a full recovery (likely) and go light early in the year. One, two, three. Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Should he be on a Feel-Like-He's-Fixin'-to-Die High.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- The deciding factor may be the (TBD) number of (any type of) kilometers without Pogacar.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- Unexplained chronic fatigue is an all too common bitch. The hard to find definitive answer may lie buried in gut mechanisms. A mystery of the deep.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- It's weird to say Evenepoel would be making a "serious mistake by adding the 2027 Giro d'Italia to his calendar, warning that such a decision could even be interpreted as a lack of confidence in his ability to win the Tour de France." It may well be a mistake but with so many commentators (of all sorts) continuously claiming almost everything Remco does as being a mistake, almost nobody should care what the pundits and the disparagers should say. His team may not want him to do the Giro, and that matters. But it's possibly or probably up to Remco to decide and it may not have to be decided on until a month or so ahead of the race. Yes , Remco is inconsistent much like the majority of the best riders but he's enjoying a period of not having been recently injured (or sick). Whatever he does he need not be concerned with critics who will second guess any perceived failure no matter what. I suspect he will have enough other races on his schedule so he won't be considering it. But the worst reason to not race it is because of what some will say - humorous that be.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- I'll say clean sweep all grand tourZamorano04-11-2026
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"That looked easy!" Tim Merlier wins stage 2 at the Baloise Belgium Tour!
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