"This was my best sprint of the three opportunities we had" - Tim Merlier optimistic towards National Championships
Cycling
Tim Merlier had all the reasons to be satisfied with his second stage victory in the final day of Baloise Belgium Tour. The 31-year-old Flemish defeated his big rival Jasper Philipsen once again in Brussel, settling the score to 2 - 1 for the time being.
"This was my best sprint of the three sprints that were there. During the second sprint opportunity I was trapped. I guessed it pretty well at the time, but unfortunately I couldn't figure it out. Today I rode a good sprint," opens Merlier afterwards. When asked which of the three sprint opportunities from the Baloise Belgium Tour was the most fun to ride, Merlier answers with a smile: "The last one because then it's over."
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In his analysis afterwards, the Soudal - Quick-Step sprinter thanks his lead-out man Bert Van Lerberghe several times. "Towards the 2km mark, Bert and I were both in a good position. Then he made the decision to pull it on a ribbon because I was well placed. From then on it was a matter of timing until the last corner to get through it properly. I continued there in an ideal position and was able to ride my sprint as I wanted."
The 31-year-old sprinter is looking forwards to the Belgian road Championship next week. "I'll try to be as fresh as possible next week, just like I did after the Giro. I also tried to hang on it as long as possible yesterday, but I must say that the condition is okay, but the freshness is gone."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- 18 broken bones. 78 crashes, among 30 rider per year is a lot. so for a rider over 15 seasons, they will break their bones 7-8 times and crash 38 times.abstractengineer04-11-2026
- i dont think he is ready ot win against the top 2 or the 2nd rung of evenepoel, del toro , Almeida. In the third week in the TDF he was very very defensive, no attacks. i think he was exhausted. right now he needs time not the brutal Giro or the intense TDF.abstractengineer04-11-2026
- Rota is an excellent rider to get in a break with because he always does his turnchapmanesque04-11-2026
- That 3000 extra that the Tour de France is built up in the flat stages
Rafionain-Glas04-11-2026 - maybe this is something else they can protest in the streets of France.mij04-11-2026
- his Roubaix win was amazing. not to take anything away from him - arguably one of MVDP's wins was at the expense of a WVA flat - but so many things need to line up to get one of these. He had a perfect race with fewer bike issues on an attritional course. And crazy strong as usual. Glad he got this done.mij04-11-2026
- Orts was a super smart signing with the new rules regarding cross and UCI pointsmij04-11-2026
- yeah... you're right...PogiSloFans04-11-2026
- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
- A mindset that reminds me of Tim Declerq. I loved watching that guy just pound away the kilometers, hours at the front, holding an entire breakaway in check on his own. Bjerg seems like a similar guy. Curling, the team sport.RidesHills04-11-2026
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