Merlier keeps winning in powerful sprint showdown against Philipsen: "Best form post-Giro gone"

Merlier secured his win primarily through a well-calculated tactic in the final phase, kicking off his sprint at 200 meters and catching the rest off guard. "I felt it was the right moment. There wasn’t much speed due to the headwind, and I think I had everything under control until the last kilometer. I chose my position the way I wanted, staying a bit back in that last corner because I knew it was possible. It was a bit of a gamble, but it paid off," Merlier reflected post-race.

"I have ridden this stage here many times before, but win for the first time here in the Baloise Belgium Tour," he then raises some eyebrows. Surely it's true, Merlier has never won in his home race. "That's ticked off. I certainly didn't expect this, because I'm definitely not in top form. I was a bit afraid of my sprint, which might be a bit botched compared to the fresher guys here. The best form may be gone after the Giro, but if you win here, you can't be disappointed."

The same certainly applies to Søren Wærenskjold, who seized the leader's jersey in Wednesday's time trial and defended it vigorously on Thursday. He had to push hard during the Golden Kilometer, where the Norwegian grabbed three seconds. Mathias Vacek took four seconds and now trails by just one second in the overall standings. "I tried to go for the bonus seconds, so I didn’t have much left for the final sprint," Wærenskjold analyzed.

"I barely managed to take anything at the second intermediate sprint, but I’m still in the lead," he said with a laugh. "Friday should normally be another sprint day, though I also need to save some energy for the fourth stage. That one will decide the classification, so I’m hoping for better legs then."