Merlier claims third consecutive victory in Schoten
Tim Merlier struck again in the Scheldeprijs. In Schoten, the Belgian claimed his third consecutive victory on the Churchilllaan during the centenary edition of the Scheldeprijs. In the expected bunch sprint, he convincingly beat Pavel Bittner and Emilien Jeannière.
As tradition now dictates, the starting gun for the 114th edition of the Scheldeprijs sounded around midday in Terneuzen. Under ideal weather conditions, the riders set off on a 205‑kilometre route towards the finish on the Churchilllaan in Schoten.
Six riders featured in the breakaway of the day. Carpenter (Modern Adventure Pro Cycling), Djuric (Solution Tech NIPPO Rali), Dissel and Nat (BEAT CC p/b Saxo), along with the Killy–Harteel duo (Tarteletto – Isorex), went on the attack early. Soudal Quick‑Step, Unibet Rose Rockets and Team Picnic PostNL took charge of the chase, keeping the gap to the leaders at under three minutes.
With hardly any wind in Zeeland, echelons played no role. The peloton kept the breakaway within reach and rode in controlled fashion towards the local laps in Schoten. With two laps to go, an acceleration by Carpenter, Killy and Dissel reduced the leading group to three riders.
Read more below the photo
At three kilometres from the finish, the last escapees were caught and the decisive finale began. Amid growing nervousness heading into the finishing straight, Fretin (Cofidis), Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) and Bauhaus (Bahrain – Victorious) were among those involved in a crash, ending their chances of contesting the sprint.
In the reduced peloton, few sprint trains could still be organised. The sprinters therefore had to rely largely on themselves. In the sprint, Merlier (Soudal Quick‑Step) proved to be by far the strongest. The Belgian claimed an emphatic victory, securing his third consecutive win in Schoten, thirty years after the victory of his late father‑in‑law Frank Vandenbroucke. Bittner (Team Picnic PostNL) and Jeannière (TotalEnergies) completed the podium.
