"I've rarely seen him like that" - Soudal - Quick-Step DS impressed by ultra-sharp Tim Merlier

Soudal - Quick-Step made no mistakes on the way to Châteauroux in ninth stage of Tour de France and their sprinter Tim Merlier did not hesitate to secure a third victory for the Belgian formation.

"It was a thriller, but with a beautiful ending," sports director Tom Steels told Sporza with a scent of excitement in his voice. Thrilling action for the man who remembers the good old days of Wolfpack.

Mathieu van der Poel and Jonas Rickaert almost pulled off the impossible and won the stage with a two-man breakaway. "That duo up front rode incredibly hard," Steels applauded the Alpecin-Deceuninck riders.

"I felt a certain tension with Tim Merlier. I've rarely seen him like that. He was really good today," Steels sensed that the European Champion was extra motivated to succeed today.

When crosswinds opened up the race, we could see the Belgian grab his radio. "Together with Bert (Van Lerberghe), he sensed that the leading group wasn't the best. It didn't break and they pulled away again, but luckily there was some support at the end. And then a speed race followed. Hats off to the whole team."

"Today was a thriller, but with a good ending," sports director Klaas Lodewyck celebrated. "I thought it was a pretty good situation, but the leaders were obviously not perfect. When the gap became quite large, we felt Lidl-Trek reacted rather late. We rode along to be safe at the front. They held up well, but when you're so close at the end, you can't hesitate. That little effort doesn't make the difference anymore."

Soudal - Quick-Step leaders were everywhere they had to be today, with Remco Evenepoel even briefly appearing at the front of peloton. A completely different approach to when the Olympic champion lost time in Lille week ago. "They learned their lesson well after the first day. We knew where the wind was blowing and we know the area. You have to race with it to be safe."