Tim Merlier glorious despite "very hectic" UAE Tour sprint

Tim Merlier had his last opportunity to perform today at the UAE Tour and he grabbed it with both hands. It was the fourth bunch sprint of the race and the Belgian has won the first and last.

“It was very hectic, very nervous. It was the last chance for the sprinters, I think. It was also dangerous, but in the last five hundred meters I got into the right position. I went from far and it turned out to be enough," Merlier said in a post-race interview. Another chaotic sprint was issued with leadouts struggling to perform, and Quick-Step's wasn't one of them.

“We have explored the final. We knew it was going to be very hectic, just like the past few days. In the end we found the right way, but you also need a bit of luck here," he detailed. However he found the right wheel, that of Sam Bennett in the final sprint, and managed to have the strongest kick towards the finish line.

With this victory the points classification is also almost sealed. His closest competitor is teammate Remco Evenepoel. "I don't know if I have enough points yet, we'll see. If Remco still goes for it, I don't know how many points he has," he concluded. Soudal - Quick-Step's goal for tomorrow will be however of preserving the red jersey of the World Champion.