Tim Merlier scores this season's victory no. 10 in Slovakia: "I will try to add to this number before the end of the season"

Soudal Quick-Step made it two for two in Okolo Slovenska. After Rémi Cavagna soloed to victory Wednesday, twenty-four hours later it was Tim Merlier’s turn to take center stage at the end of the race’s shortest day, only 147 kilometers from Presov to Poprad, over a hilly parcours.

"At first, I thought it was going to be difficult, as I had a flat tire with 50 kilometers to go, and this came after a rainy and full gas opening hour, which clearly didn’t make things easy. Fortunately, we have two great guys – Tim and Josef – who did a great job closing the gap and bringing back the five escapees, without any help whatsoever from the other squads."

"I’m happy that I still had the legs to pull it off after such a hard day. I’m also delighted that I could celebrate my tenth victory of the season; it’s a nice milestone for my first year with the Wolfpack, and if it’s possible between now and the end of the season, I will try to add to this number," said Merlier after the stage.

While stage 3 is quite unpredictable due to irregular profile, stages 4 and 5 should present two more opportunities for Merlier to add to his victory counter in 2023.