That run toward the line in Pau on stage 5 of the Tour de France was what Tim Merlier and his Soudal-QuickStep team had been waiting for. It was finally a sprint chance for the rider who won two stages of the 2025 edition and this year largely carries the hopes of his squad now that Remco Evenepoel has moved on.
Conserving energy through the tough opening stages, his team were switched on for Wednesday, doing their bit to make sure the break didn't spoil the sprint chance.
As the finale approached, the attackers had been reeled in, and it looked like the time had come to unfurl a sprint masterclass that would make the four days of suffering through the climbs and heat worth it.
Though, then came a crash. Merlier remained upright and was still charging toward the line, but he had lost key riders to help him make the most of the opportunity, with Jasper Stuyven and Bert Van Lerberghe on the deck at around 5km to go.
"Bert was pushed to one side, bounced up on the barriers, and from there it was unavoidable, as I got catapulted to the ground," said Stuyven. "It was really hectic."
That meant that under the flamme rouge that marked the final kilometre, Merlier wasn't comfortably riding the wheel of his teammates and waiting to be dropped off to unleash his sprint, but was instead battling to find his place – no easy task.
"After losing both Bert and Jasper, I was alone and had to find a way to get into position for the sprint and still fight for a good result. I thought I had found an opening at one point, but was forced almost immediately to come around and that was that," Merlier said in a team statement.
Still, even though he looked to be out of contention, once the Belgian got clear his turn of speed was impressive with the rider seemingly coming out of nowhere to clinch third behind Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Max Kanter (XDS-Astana).
The circumstances around him charging toward the line after another hot day on the bike may not have been ideal, but the pace he unfurled when he finally got to launch was.
Now, he'll have to work his way through the mountains on Thursday before the stage to Bordeaux on Friday and then stage 8 to Bergerac on Saturday, when another two of the limited sprint opportunities of this year's Tour de France should unfold.
"I hope that in the next stages, luck will be on our side," said Merlier.
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