Tim Merlier replicated his 12 feat of months ago by taking the opening stage of the UAE Tour – and a first success of the season in the 2024 WorldTour – on Monday.
The Soudal Quick-Step’s Belgian rider took the chequered flag ahead of Arvid De Kleijn (Tudor Pro Cycling) and Jakub Mareczko (Corratec-Vini Fantini) in a stage marred by a huge crash 200 metres from the finishing line.
Many riders in the peloton were involved in the crash with only 25 of them left to finish in the 143-kilometre stage in Abu Dhabi’s Western region from Al Dhafra Walk to Liwa.
Merlier remained calm amid the chaos. He followed the Colombian pair Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates) and Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) before sprinting clear in the final 100 metres to take the win in three hours 9 minutes and 55 seconds. “A win is always nice but to get my first WorldTour win of the season is even nicer,” Merlier said. “I made the right decision to switch side of the road with 500 meters to go, and I made a good decisions there to go alone.