Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) steamed to his 15th victory of the season at the Omloop van het Houtland on Wednesday, meaning only Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) has more victories than him in 2025.
The Belgian sprinter was guided around the final few corners in Lichtervelde by his Soudal-QuickStep teammates in the perfect position, before launching his sprint with the finish line in sight, which no one could match.
Max Kanter (XDS Astana) took second on the day, after his teammates Yevgeniy Fedorov and Max Kanter had tried several times to attack away from the bunch in the final hour of racing on the 198.7km course. Close behind the German in third was Arne Marit (Intermarché-Wanty), with the rest of the top five all coming from the host nation.
His final race in the iconic white and blue jersey will arrive next Friday, at the Münsterland Giro, where he'll be looking for victory number 16 on the season.
Results
Results powered by FirstCycling
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
-
'The thought of going to work in an office is the scariest thing in the world' – After a brutal year on and off the bike, George Bennett is more motivated than ever
'The big block for me starts when I go to Europe, doing altitude camp, and then we're really going to focus on the spring' -
Neilson Powless targets race wins at Flemish Classics after off-season knee injury and tendonitis 'pushed my goals back by a couple of months'
US rider begins seventh year at EF Education-EasyPost at three-day Tour de la Provence to support Lamperti and Leonard -
Setmana Valenciana: Demi Vollering converts 19km solo into opening stage victory
European road champion opens 2026 account with a win on a blustery day in Valencia -
Best tyre levers 2026: One product is so good, we've not bothered including the rest
After testing out various other tyre lever options, nothing comes close to the Muc-Off Rim Stix
