Evenepoel helps reel in Van der Poel, paving the way for teammate Merlier: "He was really strong"

It goes without saying that Merlier was happy with the win. He did admit it had been a brutal day in the French heat. “I’m happy, but the heat made it really tough,” he said. “Things were okay in the peloton today. There were a few echelon attempts, so in the last 60 kilometers I couldn’t get any water bottles. Apart from the heat, it was a good day, but very nervous.”

The stage got even harder thanks to an all-out two-man escape from Van der Poel and Jonas Rickaert. The Alpecin-Deceuninck duo put the sprinters under serious pressure. “A five-and-a-half-minute lead is a lot, so we decided to help with the chase. So did the other teams, and the pace was really high. It was especially hard on the guys up front and those pulling in the bunch. For us, it was just really tense.”

In the final kilometers, Remco Evenepoel even put in some strong turns on the front. “He was really strong,” said the European champion. “Usually I’m the one helping him, but when there’s a tailwind, he feels great. He moved up easily. There were constant echelon threats, and Bert and I were there to keep him up front. We tried to protect each other, and I really have to thank him for that.”

Merlier also had his trusted lead-out man Bert Van Lerberghe by his side. The two are inseparable, but so far in the Tour the sprinter had to do without his regular lead-out. “Finally, Bert and I were together here in the Tour. That gave me so much more confidence. He did a great job. I thought I was going to get boxed in for a second, but around 200 meters from the finish, I found space to launch my sprint. I’m really happy I was able to take a second win.”

After the stage, sports director Tom Steels shared his thoughts with Sporza. “It was extremely hectic. Absolute chaos. Unreal. That duo at the front rode incredibly hard,” said the Belgian, who also saw a relaxed sprinter in his team. “I've rarely seen him like that. He was really good today. What did he shout? Together with Bert (Van Lerberghe, ed.), he could tell that the breakaway wasn’t just any rider.”

“It didn’t break, and they pulled away again, but luckily we got some help at the end. Then it became a flat-out speed race. Hats off to the whole team,” Steels concluded after Merlier’s second stage win of this Tour.

Team boss Klaas Lodewyck added his analysis. “Today was a thriller, but with a good ending. I thought it was a pretty good situation, but those guys leading up front weren’t pushovers. When the gap got pretty big, we felt like Lidl-Trek reacted quite late. We took turns at the front just to stay close.”

“They were holding out well, but if you're that close in the end, you can’t hesitate," Lodewyck continued. “That small extra effort can make the difference." Unlike in the opening stage, Soudal Quick-Step stayed sharp in the crosswinds. “They really learned their lesson after day one. We knew where the wind would be and we know the region. You have to ride up front here if you want to be on the safe side.”