Results Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 2 - Tim Merlier bounces back to win second stage ahead of Kooij and Philipsen
Cycling
Tim Merlier bounced back from opening stage disappointment to take a dominant sprint win on Thursday's second stage of the Baloise Belgium Tour. Opening his sprint early, the Belgian demonstrated that he will be the rider to beat among the fast men in next month's Tour de France.
On stage two, riders set off from Merelbeke-Melle for a 198 kilometer journey North to the coast - finishing in Knokke-Heist. With the elevation profile almost completely flat, it was set to be another day for the fast riders.
Biniam Girmay enjoyed the bragging rights on Wednesday's opening stage. The Eritrean upset the odds to edge Tim Merlier in the sprint to the line. There was disappointment for Jasper Philipsen as he didn't contest the bunch sprint, while Max Kanter took a third place.
As the day's early breakaway established itself, the bunch seemed content to let six riders go ahead. Michiel Hillen, Jonah Killy, Stijn Appel, Victor Broex, Victor Hannes and Viktor Vandenberghe all seemed to work together nicely.
With 125 kilometers to go and just over 70 kilometers on the books, their gap had grown out to 1:50. Back in the bunch, the sprint teams were firmly in control as they stabilised the gap and slowly began to reel them in.
Peleton reel in break to ensure sprint finish
Turning the screw between the 40 and 20 kilometers to go markers, the breakaway split as Hillen and Vanderberghe dropped as the gap went down to just 0:42 with 20 to go.
As the riders crossed the finish line for the third time and onto a final lap, all roads headed towards another sprint to the line as sprint trains began forming at the front. The breakaway were soon swallowed up by the increased pace at just over nine kilometers to go.
Multiple teams jostled for position in a hectic finale as Jasper Stuyven did his best to position Tim Merlier before the final straight. Merlier launched the sprint first after a leadout from Bert van Lerberghe. Merlier took the win ahead of Olav Kooij and Jasper Philipsen.
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Results Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 2
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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