Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quickstep) put his new European Champion's jersey on prime display on Friday, winning the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen ahead of Arvid de Kleijn (Tudor Pro Cycling) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
"There’s always an extra pressure on you at the first race you do with a special jersey on your shoulders, but luckily, I managed to get the win just a couple of days after becoming European Champion, so all is good," Merlier said.
"The boys were again amazing today. It wasn't easy, because I didn’t have the best feeling and I was also blocked behind that crash, but thanks to Warre I could make it back just in time for the sprint."
Merlier and Philipsen had to scramble back to the lead of the race after a crash split the peloton with 10km to go, but made it back with plenty of time to get into position on Philipsen's wheel.
"It was still hectic with that crash 10 kilometers from the finish", Merlier said, adding the team weren't involved in the crash but were stopped by it. "Then it was a team pursuit for us, but we were still able to catch up.
"Then I had to search a bit to see who I still had around me, because I had lost Bert (Van Lerberghe). Warre (Vangheluwe) brought me well and then I had to wait and pick up somewhere. That turned out to be Philipsen's wheel."
Philipsen started the sprint early into a slight right-hand bend, trying to use the inside line to gain an advantage, but Merlier was too strong and was able to come around the long way and still snatch the victory. De Kleijn powered past the fading Philipsen to nab second place.
The 180.2 kilometre race around Koolskamp started under sunny skies with a fight for the breakaway, with three riders, Fabio Christen (Q36.5), Alex Colman (Flanders Baloise), Sam Gademan (Volkerwessels), earning the early TV time.
Gademan lost contact in a section of crosswinds with 55km to go that also knocked Caleb Ewan out of contention and briefly distanced Philipsen, but the race came back together behind the two remaining leaders amid a series of turns and narrow roads.
After the leading duo's gap hovered at just over three minutes for most of the day, it was coming down quickly when Philipsen punctured and stopped in a turn with 37km to go.
With Alpecin-Deceuninck taking their feet off the gas, the advantage went back out until Philipsen was back in and his team got back to work reeling in the escapees together with Soudal-Quickstep, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and Lidl-Trek.
The breakaway's lead steadily dropped until the final lap, when Christen surged leaving Colman behind with 14km to go. The Swiss rider's lead was hovering at 30 seconds when a crash very close to the front of the peloton on a narrow stretch of road disrupted the chase. Sam Welsford (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) was the worst off, but Fabio Jakobsen (DSM-Firmenich-PostNL) was caught out, too.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe still had Jordi Meeus in the lead split as they hit the crosswinds with 9.5km to go and drove the pace as new European champion Tim Merlier (Soulda-Quickstep) was left behind in a chasing group.
Christen continued to power on until he was caught by the first split inside 7km to go, but the peloton behind began to re-form. With 4.5km to go, the second peloton caught the first.
Philipsen opened up the sprint but Merlier was able to come around the top in the slight right-hand bend to claim his first victory in the European Champion's jersey.
Results
Results powered by FirstCycling
