'Bert gave me confidence' - Merlier credits Van Lerberghe for Tour de France success

Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) claimed his second stage victory of the 2025 Tour de France,  sprinting to the win in Châteauroux ahead of Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) on a day that was marked by the wind, heat and a very strong breakaway duo. 

The European champion highlighted the stage's conditions with soaring temperatures and a lack of hydration in the crucial final phase of the race, which could have cost him the chance of fighting for the win, a day after a mechanical scuppered his plans in Laval.

"Yes, it was with the heat, really hard, and the bunch was quite okay all day, but sometimes they try for echelons and in the last 60km I didn't get any drinks anymore, so I was a bit overheated," Merlier explained in his post-race interview in Châteauroux. "Without the heat, it was quite an okay day, but really nervous."

On what was expected to be a day for the sprinters, the Alpecin-Deceuninck duo of Mathieu van der Poel and Jonas Rickaert decided to add an extra element of spice to a stage which already had a potential threat of echelons. The duo worked extremely hard throughout the stage to build a gap, which breached 5:30 and inside the final 15 kilometres, still had more than a minute of an advantage. 

Rickaert emptied the tank until the 6km mark, where Van der Poel then went solo, and although the Dutchman was caught inside the final kilometre, the brilliant performance of the duo had pushed the sprinters and their teams all the way, so much so that stage 9 has been recorded as the second fastest road stage in Tour de France history with an average speed of 50.013km/h.

"Well, five minutes and a half is a lot, so we tried to help, and also other teams started to help, and the pace was quite high, so [Van der Poel and Rickaert] they did well in front," Merlier said, praising the breakaway exploits of his former teammates. "Like I say, it was just hard for the guys in front, the guys who were pulling, and the bunch was just nervous."

Merlier was also asked about the role of the Soudal Quick-Step team leader Remco Evenepoel, who was seen pulling on the front of the peloton in the closing 10 kilometres, helping to bring Rickaert and Van der Poel back. 

"He [Evenepoel] was really strong, normally I need to help him, but when there's wind, he still doesn't feel it in the legs, he can move up easily," Merlier said. "But all the time, with the possibility to have echelons, me and Bert [Van Lerberghe] were also there to let them in again, and we tried to protect each other as much as possible. But thanks to Remco of course also," Merlier added.

The European champion was also very complimentary about his teammate Van Lerberghe, who had been brought to the Tour de France specifically as Merlier's key support rider for the sprint stages, with the duo having a tight-knit relationship since their school days. 

"Finally me and Bert were together here in the Tour, first time together and I was so much more confident with him in front of me," said Merlier.

"I did a really good job, one moment I though I was boxed in, but I came out just before 200 metres, or maybe just after, I don't know anymore, just go all in and I'm happy I can win my second stage here," Merlier added.

Tom Steels, sports director of Soudal Quick-Step, spoke to TNT Sports at the finish, after the third stage win for the Belgian team already at this Tour, with two sprint wins for Merlier and Evenepoel's time trial success.

“Yeah, today was a very chaotic, hectic race, not only on the bike, but also in the car. I mean, there were a few points in the race where it could split, so there we saw always the acceleration and everything came back, and then always 55, 60 kilometres an hour, but also chapeau to the break, they went really fast today," said Steels.

“They put the whole bunch under pressure for the whole day, and finally in the last kilometre we finally got them," Steels added, as he gave credit to the Alpecin-Deceuninck duo. 

Steels explained the process of chasing the Alpecin-Deceuninck duo and Van der Poel in the closing kilometres, and was also similar to Merlier in crediting the work of Van Lerberghe in helping the European champion in the finale.

"Yeah, he's done it once again, yeah, and it was chaos. I mean, every team started to pull and then they'd gone away and then at the end it was almost one by one," Steels said of Van der Poel and Rickaert's breakaway expedition. 

"They were sitting there, the sprinters, and you saw always Tim [Merlier] moving and at a certain point his guardian angel Bert [Van Lerberghe] was still there and he moved up and then ok, then he was waiting, waiting, and also you see how he moved the last 200-300 metres he waits and waits and he repositions just to get a shelter again and then he accelerates and then he's gone," Steels added, crediting the work of Van Lerberghe and Merlier.