Merlier wins sprint battle in Paris-Nice opener

LA VERRIERE, France: Belgian sprinter Tim Merlier won a battle of the fast men to take the first stage of Paris-Nice on Sunday in La Verriere.

At the end of a winding and hilly 169.4 kilometer circuit in the Chevreuse Valley, west of Paris, the Lotto-Soudal rider pulled away in the final meters.

Four other sprinters crossed the line shoulder-to-shoulder a bike length behind. Irishman Sam Bennett of Bora claimed second and Dane Mads Pedersen third.

The two Tour de France winners, Slovenian Tadej Pogacar and Dane Jonas Vingegaard, were both active in the final 20 kilometers.

Pogacar attacked on the last hills and collected six bonus seconds when he was first over the last one, which could be useful in an eight-day race often decided by just a few seconds.

The two men found themselves clear in a three-man breakaway with six kilometers left but opted to save their energy and allow the sprinters to battle for victory.