Merlier repeats his success at the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen

There's no peace for Dylan Groenewegen. The Dutch giant of the Unibet Rose Rockets team was once again defeated by Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep), who won the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen, a prestigious Belgian classic held in Koolscamp, for the second time in two years. Norwegian Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) also made the podium, completing a top-three finish for sprint specialists.

This is the Belgian champion's eleventh victory of the season. Merlier held off his Dutch rival's comeback, finding a gap on the right that proved lethal. Groenewegen, on the other hand, achieved his fifth place in this race: his last win here dates back to 2018, a drought that's starting to take its toll.

In the final 500 meters, the Unibet Rose Rockets deployed three men to launch their sprinter down the center of the road, in a perfectly timed maneuver. But Merlier, cool as ever in decisive moments, sensed the opening in the right lane and outpaced everyone with 100 meters to go, a move that once again demonstrated his instinct for a winning sprint.