Merlier’s centrifuge, bored Pogacar, and a celebrating Van Eetvelt laugh—Visma | Lease a Bike and Jakobsen don't

Tim Merlier delivered a stunning performance on Saturday, securing his second stage victory in the UAE Tour. The Soudal-Quick Step rider had lost the first two sprints of the week to Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) but struck back relentlessly on both Friday and Saturday. Merlier pulled off the win entirely on his own, from what seemed like an impossible position, leaving the rest trailing meters behind. After the race, he shared his thoughts, as did race leader Tadej Pogacar and other key figures.

With 500 meters to go, Merlier didn’t seem to be in contention at all. He was stuck deep in the peloton, while Tudor Pro Cycling had things well under control for Arvid de Kleijn. “I prefer to sprint from a safer position, but this time, I was stuck in the ‘washing machine,’ as we say,” Merlier laughed in his flash interview. “I found a gap with 300 meters to go and just tried to surprise the others.”

Merlier explained that his tough positioning was due to Friday’s crashes, which made it difficult to organize the sprint. “It was hard to get things together, especially because my lead-out man (Bert Van Lerberghe, ed.) crashed yesterday. He did what he could, but we lost each other in the last two kilometers. I really missed him to help create space because I was completely boxed in. I didn’t think I was going to make it, but suddenly, a gap opened up. With a headwind, it was a long effort—I really suffered—but I’m very happy.”

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Visma | Lease a Bike and Jakobsen had secretly hoped for more

Behind Tim Merlier, Jasper Philipsen finished second for Alpecin-Deceuninck, while Jonathan Milan had to settle for third for the second day in a row with Lidl-Trek. “This was a different kind of finish compared to the previous sprint stages. We went for the win, but it was a really nervous finale. I got stuck in the group and never found the space to break free. I saw Merlier coming on the right side, pulling off one of his trademark moves. Congratulations to him.”

Visma | Lease a Bike and Picnic-PostNL also missed out on the podium. For Visma, the absence of Olav Kooij (who withdrew on stage 1 due to illness) meant that any result was already a bonus. Daniel McLay managed to finish fourth on stage 4, but on Friday and Saturday, the 33-year-old Brit was unable to contest the sprint. "It's unfortunate that Daniel couldn't execute a full sprint in the end," said team director Jesper Mørkøv in a team statement. "In the final kilometers, Niklas (Behrens) and Tosh (Van der Sande) did a really good job for Daniel, but unfortunately, it just didn’t come together."

At Picnic-PostNL, expectations were undoubtedly higher, but Fabio Jakobsen once again had to settle for a minor placing, just like in stages 4 and 6. The Dutchman finished sixth on Saturday. "The teamwork from the guys was fantastic—they kept me well-positioned at the front and made sure we stayed safe. In the sprint, I tried to follow Merlier’s wheel, but he had a strong jump and was incredibly fast today. I’m proud of the team and the guys. Maybe I was just missing that last bit of top speed, but we were there and we were in the mix. If we keep working like this, that victory will come soon enough."

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Fabio Jakobsen

Van Eetvelt enjoyed his day with Pogacar, who stayed quiet this time

One rider who didn’t play a major role in Saturday’s flat stage was Lennert Van Eetvelt. The Lotto Dstny rider likely had heavy legs after spending more than 100 kilometers in the breakaway with Tadej Pogacar the day before. According to Van Eetvelt, he had been riding alongside "possibly the greatest rider of all time." He added: "The gap between him and the rest is just too big. It’s actually more fun and better for your development to race against the others. But at the same time, it’s incredible to compete against the best rider of the moment," Van Eetvelt praised Pogi.

Van Eetvelt continued his praise for Friday’s stage in a conversation with Cyclingnews, calling it a day to remember forever. "When you race against Pogacar, you know you’re going to get dropped eventually, so normally, there’s no point in following him. But I will remember days like Friday for the rest of my life. I joked with my teammates that if I attacked, no one would react. And then Tadej went, and without thinking, I followed. It probably wasn’t the smartest move, but it was a fun day and good for my body," he added.

Even Pogacar himself agreed, after taking a relatively quiet approach on Saturday in the UAE Tour. His UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad attempted a brief echelons move, but otherwise, they remained under the radar. "I took it easy today and didn’t try to get involved. It was a boring stage, but that’s also part of cycling. I tried to enjoy the scenery a little, but you still have to stay focused so you don’t crash."

In an audio recording from his post-stage cooldown on the rollers, Pogacar gave a clear message ahead of Sunday’s mountain finish on Jebel Hafeet: "Tomorrow, it’s going to be full gas all day," he said, building anticipation for a big showdown on the final climb.

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