Scheldeprijs: Tim Merlier wins with powerful sprint ahead of Jasper Philipsen and Dylan Groenewegen

Scheldeprijs every year hosts tons of the best sprinters in the world and that was no exception. An elite field disputed a furious sprint where Tim Merlier took the victory for Soudal - Quick-Step.

The flat classic saw a group of five riders going up the road in the day featuring Axel Huens, Vincent van Hemelen, Liam Slock, Stijn Appel and Baptiste Planckaert. The group never threatened the peloton too much, who controlled with ease.

Soudal - Quick-Step, Alpecin-Deceuninck and Team Jayco AlUla pushed the pace in the peloton to favour a bunch sprint, which was not interrupted by the wind present in Belgium.

The final of the survivors from the front group was caught with 7 kilometers to go as Slock pushed on, and from there on a bunch sprint became inevitable with plenty leadouts occupying the whole road.

It was, as expected, a very fast and dangerous finale with several crashes marking it. There was no definite leadout taking to the front within the final kilometer. Danny van Poppel launched his sprint but without Sam Welsford in the wheel.

Tim Merlier took advantage of that, and launched his sprint early. Without Philipsen in the wheel, Merlier stormed to a powerful win, beating his main rival only a few weeks after his defeat at the Classic Brugge-De Panne. He beat the late sprint of Philipsen and Dylan Groenewegen.

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