Tim Merlier (Crelan-Vastgoedservice) showed that he more than just a very talented cyclo-cross rider when he emerged as the strongest in the reduced bunch sprint at the GP Stad Zottegem. The Belgian was the fastest in a 40-rider group that sprinted for the win after a very fast and aggressive race as he held Timothy Dupont (Veranda’s Willems) and Marcel Sieberg (Lotto Soudal) off in the final dash to the line.

 

We have gathered a few reactions.

 

Tim Merlier after semi-classics victory: Cyclo-cross is still my priority

"This is a great victory,” Tim Merlie said. “It is not bad to win a race in this category. Compared to last season at this time I feel much better. This year I have had a heavier road programme. Winning here is brilliant, because the goal really is the winter months in cyclocross. 

 

“Pieter Vanspeybrouck made an attempt on the cobblestones of the Paddestraat. I had already seen him doing well there one lap earlier. During the last five kilometers Vanspeybrouck tried again, but he could not stay away. In the finale we caught him And then it was a sprint. I managed to position myself perfectly and finish it off. It's nice to be able to crown my road season with a brilliant victory. Knowing that cyclo-cross is my core business, this is quite a stunning victory. On Sunday it could even work out in Schaal Sels where I was already third last year. Then I start my cyclocross season in Geraardsbergen and I will travel to the US to do the first two rounds of the World Cup."

 

"I never thought I would fight for first place today,” he told Directvelo. “The course was not very difficult but the pace was intense all day and there were exhausted bodies. There was physical fatigue but also mental. You had to be careful with all those attempts. I do not count the number of attacks today. We saw many groups take s30-40-50 econds and it was important to be attentive in order not to be surprised because Timothy Dupont and Baptiste Planckaert tried several times and we could not let them go.

 

"I was not well placed at the start of the pave. I saw Pieter Vanspeybroeck attack and I thought I had lost the race because I was in 15-20th position.

 

"I was in sixth or seventh position in the final corner. I was right next to Timothy Dupont. Then I gave everything I had. It was only at the line that I realized that I had won.

 

"This year I wanted to limit the number of road races and focus on high level races. I won my first professional victory on the road. This is an important moment in my career. I have largely achieved my goal but that not mean that I will concentrate on the road in the future. I remain primarily a cyclo-cross rider.”

"It is great," sports director Kevin Hulsmans said. "But it is not a surprise to me. Tim can do even more than that. "

 

Timothy Dupont first loser in GP Stad Zottegem

Timothy Dupont finished second. He told Het Nieuwsblad.

 

"Finishing second is the first loser. It is the least fun place for a rider. But I cannot complain after such a tough race. I was not good all day. The heat made me suffer. In the final I was in perfect position for the last cobbled sector. But I fell back to seventh place and I knew immediately that a new victory was no longer possible.”

 

"I did come close to Tim Merlier but it just was not enough. I had lost a lot of energy throughout the race cecause I knew it would not be a bunch sprint. In the sprint of a large group, I would be able to play a role. Aidis Kruopis was no longer in front so we could not play his card. And I just did everything to get here.

 

Rare podium spot for Marcel Sieberg in Zottegem

Marcel Sieberg was third. He told Directvelo

 

"After the Tour de France I debuted last weekend in Hamburg. So this was my second race after the Tour, and I'm progressing towards what follows this season.

 

"It was my team mate Pim Ligthart who was trying to attack in the final kilometer. I tried to find a good wheel and get through the last corner. The heat made it a very hard race. I have been in Flanders many times but so hot I've never had it here. And there was certainly no easy pace. In the sprint I soon realized that victory was impossible.

 

"In races like the GP Stad Zottegem you also have the small teams that want to attack. That makes it nice for the spectators but for the riders it is different.”

 

Frustrated Phil Bauhaus: I was the fastest rider here

Next to Vuelta Espana another group from the BORA – ARGON 18 went to Belgium for the GP Stad Zottegem. Paul Voss was in good shape and jumped into different groups. All other guys rode a strong race and BORA - ARGON 18 was presented in almost every group

 

In the finale, BORA - ARGON 18 focused its efforts on Phil Bauhaus. The riders neutalised all attacks in the last kilometeres and delivered an impressive team performance.

 

In the final, Phil Bauhaus was a little blocked coming out of the last corner, so he wasn’t able to show his full strength. He just missed out on the podium in 4th place.

 

“The race was very hard and with many attacks. The whole team did great work and did everything to bring Phil in a good position for the final sprint. Unfortunately he was blocked in the final, so he couldn´t show his full sprint. Therefore the 4th place is still a good result and the teamwork was great. Tomorrow is a new chance,” said André Schulze, sports director.

 

"I should have invested a little more to enter the last corner in a better position. As I didn't, I was blocked coming out of that last corner. That's a pity because I think I had the fastest legs today and I would have loved to finish off that great teamwork with a win. The boys would have deserved it for their great effort. Still 4th place is nothing bad to be honest,” said Phil Bauhaus.

 

Aggressive ride by ONE in Zottegem

After 70km, a break of 12 riders including ONE’s Dion Smith forced themselves clear, they worked well together but only managed to establish a maximum gap of 20 seconds before two chasers caused the peloton to react and bring the race all back together at kilometre 76. Shortly after, a new breakaway broke clear with Danish rider Sebastian Lander putting himself in the move, however once again this only lasted for a short period of time before the six riders were brought back in.

 

The elastic began to stretch and the peloton began to break under the intense heat and pressure. Finally what looked to be a big move went clear which was 27 riders strong. ONE Pro Cycling had both Smith and Lander in attendance and the gap stretched to 1 minute 30 seconds as they pushed on at the front. However the group was too big for the peloton to settle and some quick organisation brought the gap and the breakaway back after 126km. Looking over their shoulders the break could see the peloton hunting them down, Smith and Lander jumped clear of the breakaway with 16 other riders from the original move.

 

With 2 laps remaining equating to just over 50km of racing, the storyline remained the same and everything was back together once more  and nothing was allowed to leave the front of the peloton.

Heading on to the Paddestraat for the first time the team were looking to position Dion Smith and Steele Von Hoff in the front of the race which they executed with success. Behind the peloton was breaking into a lot of small groups as they got the bell passing through Zottegem for the final time.

 

With the final 2km section of cobbles coming just 6km from the finish, the battle on the final lap was frantic. Seb Lander positioned Steele Von Hoff perfectly into the top 10 as they hit the cobbles. Coming off the final sector a small lead group of ten found themselves out in front of what was left of the peloton. (30 riders) however with just 3km to go… you guessed it… it all came back together once again.

 

Dion Smith led out Steele Von Hoff for the sprint, but the pair were boxed in just before the final right hand corner with Von Hoff picking his way through the surge of riders during the sprint to claim a respectable 8th place in the UCI 1.1 classic.

 

Motivated Steven Tronet in the top 10 in Zottegem

"It was a bloc all day," commented Fortuneo-Vital Concept sports director Sébastien Hinault. Boris Vallée and Steven Tronet were active in the attacks and Steven Tronet finished tenth.

 

 "I was very motivated for the race. I was in several breakaways without success. After 120 kilometers of racing, I focused on the finale. We had two passages of the Paddestraat to perform. I arrived with a group of 35 riders to sprint for the victory. I came out of the Tour of Utah with good legs and I am very motivated to raise my arms before the end of the season.”

 

No success for Roompot in Zottegem

Reinier Honig was the only remaining representative of Roompot - Orange Peloton. In the first hours, Kai Reus and Wesley Kreder were among the attackers. Together with his cousin Raymond and Brian Van Goethem, Kreder was also still in the first peloton on the final lap. A flat tire just before the cobblestones of the Paddestraat ended his chances.

 

Reinier Honig was still in front on the last climb and finished 19th. "This hot weather is good for me," the veteran said after the finish. "But with a race average of over 46km/h, it was the best riders in the sprint.”

 

Novo Nordisk climber gets confidence from good ride in Zottegem

Team Novo Nordisk’s David Lozano showed his late season form when he finished as part of an elite front group on Tuesday’s GP Stad Zottegem.

 

“Today’s course wasn’t one that I really fit my strengths,” Lozano said. “I feel like I raced smart throughout the day.”

 

The 190.1-kilometer course saw nearly half the peloton withdraw due to the challenging course and abnormally high temperatures for Belgium. From the start, attacks were flying, including one from Team Novo Nordisk’s staigiare Quentin Valognes.

 

“I launched an attack on the first lap, but everything came back together when we reached the Paddestraat. After that, there were so many attacks, but none of them stuck,” Lozano said. “So I waited until the final lap and then tried to cover the most dangerous moves. I knew one of them may stick, but to be honest, I think all of us were too empty to do anything that big. I’m glad I could race well and hopefully will carry this into the Tour des Fjords next week.”

 

Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team, returns to racing on August 31st with the five-day Tour des Fjords in Norway.