“Hectic, dangerous, slippery” - Tim Merlier parts the waves to take victory from chaotic sprint on stage 1 of the Tour de Pologne

The 2023 Tour de Pologne's opening stage was plagued by torrential rain and extremely gusty winds. Parting the literal waves on the road, Tim Merlier took his first win in over two months in Poznan.

“Stay calm, don't take unnecessary risks and try to assess everything properly. I had to bring out the skills of the cyclocrosser," the Belgian sprint star laughed in his post-race interview with Wielerflits following the conclusion of the stage, before describing the finale in three simple words. “Hectic, dangerous, slippery.”

“Not only on the track, before that there was already a lot of water on the road when we got closer to the track. That made it dangerous with aquaplaning. But when it rains, it's always slippery, and it's always slippery on a track," continues the Soudal - Quick-Step rider. “In the final we chose not to get outside the first twenty of the peloton, so as not to get into the hectic pace and to keep an overview. This is another nice win, back in the WorldTour."

At almost the same time as Merlier, his teammate Remco Evenepoel was also tasting victory at the Clasica San Sebastian on a brilliant day for Soudal - Quick-Step. “I already watched some, but the image disappeared at the end. But we heard that he had also won, which is great for the team," Merlier says of Evenepoel's victory.