Week after his three wins at Giro d'Italia, Tim Merlier is also victorious on gravel in Denmark

Tim Merlier was back on his bike less than a week after his very successful Giro d’Italia, picking up where he left off in Rome. Victorious in three stages at the Corsa Rosa, Merlier lined up to Denmark's Gravel Challenge Blaavandshuk on Saturday morning along with his teammate and good friend Bert Van Lerberghe.

The event, which is part of the UCI Gravel Series, consisted of four 38km-long laps, featuring gravel, paved roads and even a 2km beach section. Going into the final kilometers, Van Lerberghe helped close down several attacks before Merlier rode away close to the finish, carrying that small advantage to the line, where he took the victory.

Van Lerberghe came in third place, making it a perfect day for Soudal - Quick-Step on the east coast of Denmark.

"It was a relaxing and fun race to do. It was of course different than what I am used to, but riding my Specialized Crux on this demanding parcours together with Bert was great and I enjoyed every single moment of this race. Bert’s presence was really important and I’m delighted I could finish off the job and I could live this experience together with him," Merlier said after the race.