The Belgian Champion takes his fifth victory of the season in style, with a huge sprint in the final 300 meters of #DanilithNokereKoerse! Congrats, @MerlierTim! Photo: @GettySport
Tim Merlier confirms favourite status as he wins Nokere Koerse sprint
CyclingWednesday, 15 March 2023 at 17:16
Soudal - Quick-Step had the Nokere Koerse far from under control, but Tim Merlier survived the cobbles and the crashes to take the win in the Belgian semi-classic.
Adam de Vos, Ludovic Robeet, Jonas Geens, Rory Townsend and Enekoitz Azparren went up the road early on, forming the day's breakaway which was eventually ended with 29 kilometers to go.
A sprint was the most likely scenario but the several cobbled sectors gave opportunities to the attackers. Throughout the afternoon there were several crashes which affected the race. Many attacks surged however always with proper response from the peloton.
The most decisive attack came inside the final kilometers with Florian Vermeersch, Sep Vanmarcke and Laurence Pithie going on the attack. Several crashes in the peloton harmed the chances of a sprint, but nevertheless they entered the Nokereberg with high speed, reeling in the group inside the final meters.
Tim Merlier was the overwhelming favourite and outsprinted the competition to victory on the cobbles of Nokere. He beat Edward Theuns and Milan Menten who completed the podium.
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