"This win is thanks to Remco Evenepoel" - Tim Merlier pays tribute after dramatic stage 9 victory at 2025 Tour de France

For the second time at the 2025 Tour de France, Tim Merlier proved fastest of the bunch from a sprint finish on stage 9, powering to the victory ahead of Jonathan Milan in Châteauroux on Sunday afternoon. 

With Mathieu van der Poel making a surprise appearance in the breakaway, the peloton were made to work incredibly hard for their sprint finish, and a result, in the finale most team were left without leadout riders, having burned them all up in the chase of Van der Poel. As a result, the sprint finale was chaotic, but thriving in the chaos, Merlier proved unbeatable.

"It was a really tough day today," admitted the European champion in his post-stage interview after crossing the line and securing a third Tour de France stage win of his career. "I started to overheat a bit, and the whole stage was pretty tense from start to finish."

A big benefit to Merlier in the finale as opposed to his rivals was also the presence of his superstar Soudal - Quick-Step teammate Remco Evenepoel, with the Olympic champion making a big effort at the front of the peloton to help Merlier on his way to the win. "That’s right. This win is thanks to Remco. He was incredibly strong — it was as if he couldn’t even feel his legs," Merlier pays tribute to his teammate. "With 200 metres to go, I managed to break free and went all in. I’m absolutely thrilled with my second stage victory," he adds in conclusion.