Ganna suffers in the Yorkshire crosswinds as Merlier outclasses Kooij in Tour of Britain stage 2 sprint

Tim Merlier won the second stage of the Tour of Britain. The Belgian rider from Soudal Quick-Step won the sprint from a thinned-out peloton on a day marked by strong winds and echelons. The biggest casualty was Filippo Ganna, who saw his chances of overall victory go up in smoke. In the sprint, Merlier was well ahead of Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM).

The Tour of Britain got off to a spectacular start. The first stage featured a very challenging cobblestone climb, and that’s where the race opened up. Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) seemed poised to claim the victory for a moment, but was powerfully outpaced by Lewis Askey (NSN), who scored a one-two finish in front of his home crowd.

The second stage was one for the fast riders: the general classification favorites could put their weapons away. Four continental riders broke away early in the race and rode ahead of the peloton for quite a while, but sprinter teams like Decathlon CMA CGM (with Olav Kooij) and Soudal Quick-Step (with Tim Merlier) set a fast pace right from the start.

As a result, the breakaway riders were caught with 55 kilometers to go. That was mainly because there was also quite a strong wind along the coast. There were serious concerns about gusts of wind and the resulting echelons. This didn’t work out well for Filippo Ganna (Netcompany INEOS), the runner-up from the first stage: he experienced mechanical issues and had to chase after the peloton after it split in two.

Teams like Decathlon CMA CGM, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, and Tudor had their leaders and sprinters at the front and kept pushing hard, but Netcompany INEOS tried with all its might to bring Ganna back. It wasn’t easy. Just when it seemed like the gap was closing, it kept getting bigger and bigger. Did Ganna lose his chance at the overall victory here?

The pace at the front was incredibly fast. It was clear that Ganna wouldn’t be coming back. Sprinters like Merlier and Kooij were among the top favorites at the front. UAE didn’t have a sprinter, so they used a clever move to push Vermeersch to the front. The Belgian accelerated, and it was up to Soudal Quick-Step to chase him down. NSN and Decathlon CMA CGM had to send riders to help.

The Belgian, who had already broken away in Stage 1, rode brilliantly but saw the peloton slowly but surely closing in on him. He was caught just before the finish line, so it came down to a sprint. It was a twisty final stretch, and Kooij was positioned perfectly. However, the Dutchman was caught off guard by an early sprint from Merlier, who claimed the victory in dominant fashion.

1. Tim Merlier
2. Olav Kooij
3. Sam Bennett