Tim Merlier sprints to victory at Belgium's Brussels Cycling Classic - Arnaud de Lie back on the podium

The Brussels Cycling Classic is one of the most important races of the year for the sprinters and every year it delivers top winners - with the Tour de France closeby. Today, it was Soudal - Quick-Step's Tim Merlier who sprinted to victory, but a hard earned one.

The race saw quite a lot of attacks, including from defending champion Jonas Abrahamsen who headlined a particularly dangerous move together with Edward Planckaert and Tim van Dijke.

Ultimately the race did come down to a sprint where, relatively comfortably, Merlier was able to beat Alexis Renard and the returning Arnaud de Lie to the podium.