Tim Merlier narrowly missed out on victory at Classic Brugge-De Panne 2024 to his compatriot Jasper Philipsen. That's not quite the whole story however, due to some late controversy.
In the final few hundred metres, a boxed-in Philipsen made contact with Merlier as the eventual winner attempted to barge his way into open road and begin his sprint. “When I want to start my sprint, I get a push from behind,” Merlier describes the incident in his post-race interview.
“I sat with my wheel to the left of Danny van Poppel, so I had no room left. That's why I stuck with it. If I push through there, Jasper will go over the guardrail and I would have been the guilty one. That meant I couldn't do my sprint... But yes, sprinting is a risk,” Merlier continues. “At first I didn't even know it was Jasper. It was mainly disappointment. Maybe I'm too nice, but I don't want to kill anyone either."
Nevertheless, a second-place finish is another good result for the Soudal - Quick-Step sprinter. “It was a hectic finish, so sprinting is not easy,” he concludes. “Positioning is always very important, but without wind there is no spectacle. Despite that, it was still quite stressful.”
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