Merlier ignores rivalry with Philipsen and thanks lead-out train after flat tire: "Bert knows exactly what to do"

Tim Merlier won the Scheldeprijs on Wednesday afternoon. The Belgian sprinter from Soudal Quick-Step took the lead early in the sprint and smoothly secured his seventh victory of the season. This was no small feat, especially considering he had a flat tire twelve kilometers from the finish. However, he maintained full confidence in his lead-out men. "Bert knows exactly what to do in such moments."

After his first victory in this race, Merlier was satisfied and relaxed in the flash interviews. "Due to some circumstances, I lost the others, a few guys nearly crashed into each other. But I knew where Bert (Van Lerberghe, ed.) would show up. He knows exactly what to do then."

Merlier remains silent about rivalry with Philipsen and knows his strength lies in the long sprint

Eventually, Merlier did get into a good position and started his sprint early, a move he made purely on intuition, as he shared afterwards. "I lost track of the markers. I thought: I'm not going to get fooled like in De Panne. I'll just start from far out, and that's also my strength. You're going at 70 or 75 km/h, it goes fast and you stop looking at those markers." His reference to De Panne inevitably brings up the Belgian rivalry with Philipsen, but Merlier wisely kept silent on the matter.

"With the wind, it was hectic at the start. Then you know it's going to be tough and nervous on the narrow roads. After crossing the border, it becomes less so. The local laps were still hectic, I'm just glad I stayed upright. For me, it's just important to be able to sprint and just claim another victory. Then it doesn't matter against whom," he skillfully dodged the question about Philipsen.