Tim Merlier convincingly won the sprint on De Wandelaar in Knokke-Heist surprising himself. Søren Wærenskjold was able to hold onto his leader’s jersey after a battle in the Golden Kilometre.
Stage winner Tim Merlier: “I could feel the time was right. Because of the headwind, the speed wasn’t super-fast. I had everything under control in the last kilometres and was able to choose the position I wanted. I was deliberately a bit further into the last bend because I knew I could do it. It is a bit of a gamble there anyway, but it paid off. I have ridden this stage several times and know the finish by now, but the sprint itself is still different. It is the first time I have won a stage in the Baloise Belgium Tour, so I can tick that off the list. I was worried that my sprint would have dampened a bit after the Giro, but I’m very happy to have this one in my pocket.”
Leader Søren Wærenskjold: “I tried to go for the bonus seconds, but due to fatigue I almost missed the second sprint. I still tried to ride my final sprint, but the others were faster. Tomorrow will probably be another sprint, but I will try to save some energy for the fourth stage, which will be decisive for the final classification.”
