"In the final it was a bit hectic" - Tim Merlier emerges victorious from crash-affected sprint on stage 3 of AlUla Tour 2025

For the second time in three days, Tim Merlier has proven himself the quickest sprinter in the field at the 2025 AlUla Tour. On Thursday, Soudal - Quick-Step's European champion emerged victorious in a crash-affected sprint on stage 3.

“The legs were good today,” Merlier reflected when speaking to the media afterwards. “I felt good. In the final it was a bit hectic. There was a left turn, but that turned out to be for the cars, not for us. We almost took the wrong exit. I was a bit surprised, but I took the win, so I'm happy.”

There was also the added drama of echelons, although Merlier himself seemed unbothered. “It was not really a big fight, a large group stayed together,” said the Belgian. “It was okay. They were not real echelons.”