Soudal - Quick-Step's Tim Merlier has sprinted to a narrow victory on stage 1 of the 2025 Tour of Holland in Dordrecht this Wednesday afternoon, outpowering Olav Kooij in front of the Dutchman's home crowd in a brutal final battle for the line.
The Dutch sprinter finished second, Tobias Lund Andresen (Picnic PostNL) third. Jakob Söderqvist is the new leader.
“I was riding on the limit the whole time,” he admitted. “I think I’m a bit out of form at the moment. Today’s sprint really took everything out of me — I was completely done. But a win is a win. I think I won more with timing than with my legs.”
To be honest, it was a particularly dangerous stage, with a lot of obstacles along the way. That created a lot of tension in the peloton, so I’m not just pleased with the win — I’m also relieved to have made it through in one piece.”
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