Tim Merlier at the start of Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne: "Follow the peloton all day and survive every moment"

At the start of today's Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne, Tim Merlier has spoken out about his ambitions. Coming as one of the day's favourites and leader of Alpecin - Fenix, he will alongside Fabio Jakobsen and Caleb Ewan be the men to beat if a sprint finale becomes a reality.

"Last week was already good, we'll see how the legs are today. A lot is possible, there can be echelons, there can be some attacks from great riders or we can have a sprint so yeah, you have to be in front all day," Merlier said today in an interview by CyclingPro.

On the subject of what needs to be done to win today, Merlier was clear on the strategy: "Just to follow the peloton all day and survive every moment, and then hoping you'd be in front at the most important points."

"Of course, if I think already before the race that it's impossible I better go home, so I'm going to try for sure," he concluded, regarding the possibility of beating Fabio Jakobsen in an hypothetical sprint, something he didn't achieve at the Volta ao Algarve where the duo battled on the final sprint stage.