"We lost each-other a bit, but we didn't stress" - Tim Merlier breaks down chaotic Tour de Hongrie sprint victory

Tim Merlier was delighted to throw his arms up in celebration on Wednesday as he took a dominant sprint victory in stage one of the Tour de Hongrie. The Belgian was finishing just his fifth race day of the season, but his already top of the podium for the third time and will wear the yellow jersey on Thursday's second stage.

In a nervous run-in marred by two crashes, Merlier used his experience to find the right wheels while also using his team to beat Juan Sebastien Molano by over a bike length at the line. Merlier had Bert Van Lerberghe and Alberto Dainese in suport for the finale, but was forced to follow wheels and wait for hismoment to strike - waiting until the final 200 meters to emerge from the slipstream round Molano.

"We lost each-other a bit, but we didn't stress about it. I think once in the last kilometer we came together," Merlier said after the race. "Alberto [Dainese] did his last move and then also Bert [Van Lerberghe] still did a little bit of a lead-out. I think with 500 meters to go he brought me into a perfect position. I was waiting until 200 meters to go and I launched."

In an injury disrupted spring, Merlier confirmed that he's finding his form just at the right time: "The feeling is okay. Only the fifth race of the season and already the third win, so I can be happy."

A crash involving over twenty riders during the breakaway formation raised eyebrows. Despite little street furniture and good road surface, a high pace and nerves within the peloton led to some surprising crashes and helped Lidl-Trek duo Mathias Sunekær Norsgaard and Kristian Egholm survive deep into the stage at the front, according to the 33-year-old.

Merlier added: "After 20 kilometers there was a big crash, I was a bit surprised. There were really nice roads definitely with no road furniture so I was surprised."

"I think the riders were a bit nervous for the possibility of echelons or something, it was not the fault of the organisation at all. In the end, we were quite surprised about the two guys who were fighting."