Merlier reveals favourite rival as sprinters gear up for heavyweight Renewi Tour sprint battle

There are few big opportunities left this season for the pure sprinters, which makes the Renewi Tour all the more appealing. Over five stages in Belgium, the fast men get several realistic chances to race for wins against some of their biggest rivals.

Tim Merlier, Jasper Philipsen, Jonathan Milan, Olav Kooij and Dylan Groenewegen headline a sprint field that would not look out of place at the Tour de France. With the World Championships and European Championships offering little for riders of their profile, this week has become an important target in its own right.

Defending champion Arnaud De Lie gives the race a different kind of threat on the harder stages, while Biniam Girmay, Max Kanter and Søren Wærenskjold add further depth to an already strong field.

For Merlier, the most anticipated contest is with Lidl-Trek rider Jonathan Milan.

“My nicest duels, personally, are the ones with Jonathan,” Merlier told Sporza ahead of the race. “I think we have a somewhat similar sprinting style and we approach a sprint in the same way. Because of that, it is very often close between us when we both have a clear run.”

It is a matchup the European champion is clearly looking forward to renewing.

Milan arrives with considerably more recent racing in his legs after taking three stage victories at the Tour de Pologne earlier this month, while the Soudal Quick-Step rider has not competed since completing a successful Tour de France in July.

That break was part of the plan.

“I think every rider has a little period of decompression after the Tour, and that is logical,” Merlier said. “You work towards it with such hyperfocus and the level is incredibly high. Afterwards I simply recovered and then started activating again. I think my level is still good enough to go for a stage win here.”

Merlier will quickly find out where he stands. With Milan, Philipsen and several other top sprinters on the start list, the level is high from the opening stage, but after his break following the Tour he still believes a stage win is within reach.

Jasper Philipsen followed a similar path after the Tour, although the Belgian admits his reset involved deliberately giving himself a little more freedom than usual.

“I enjoyed myself a little more and lived a little less strictly,” Philipsen told Sporza with a smile. “The life of a cyclist has become very strict in recent years. You have to pay attention to your diet and you have tight training schedules. It was nice to keep the bow a little less tightly strung for once.”

That break was as much mental as physical. Philipsen now heads into the Renewi Tour hoping to rediscover his racing rhythm with what he calls “a fresher head and hopefully fresh legs”, an important combination in a race where positioning and concentration can prove just as decisive as outright form.

For Philipsen, the Renewi Tour is one of the few major opportunities still left this season, with neither the World Championships nor the European Championships offering much for the pure sprinters.

“The absolute top races are behind us,” Philipsen said. “For fast men there are few ambitions towards the World Championships or European Championships because those races are simply not within our capabilities. That is unfortunate, but there is not much we can do about it.”

The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider already enjoyed success in similar surroundings earlier this season when he won the Tour of Belgium, although he believes the quality of the competition this week is even higher.

“Hopefully I can win a stage, that is the first goal,” he said.

The competition is certainly there. Alongside Merlier, Philipsen and Milan, Olav Kooij and Dylan Groenewegen give the race another two proven winners who will expect to be involved whenever the peloton arrives together.

Kooij, who also won a stage at the Tour de France in July, is also targeting at least one victory in Belgium.

“Every year there is a very strong sprinters’ field here,” the Decathlon CMA CGM rider told Sporza. “That promises some beautiful sprints.”

Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) sees similar opportunities. The Dutchman has long enjoyed racing on Belgian roads and arrives with a strong team around him.

“I really like racing in Belgium,” Groenewegen told Sporza. “And with a good selection, this is another great challenge for the team and for myself.”

Arnaud De Lie comes into the race from a different position. While Merlier, Philipsen, Milan and Kooij will be looking for opportunities in the sprints, De Lie starts as defending champion after winning both the final stage and the overall classification in 2025.

His goal this time is no less ambitious.

“I want to do as well here as last year: win,” De Lie told Sporza with a laugh. “Doing better will be difficult. I am going to give 100 percent because there are some beautiful opportunities on this course.”

It also comes during his final months with Lotto-Intermarché before his move to Tudor next season, giving a title defence some added weight.

For all the quality among the fast men, the Renewi Tour is unlikely to produce five straightforward bunch sprints.

The opening stage around Diest already carries some risk for the pure sprinters, with several short climbs and the final ascent of the Grasbos coming just over 10 kilometres from the finish. If the bunch stays together, the fast men should still be in contention, but it is not an entirely simple opening day.

Stage two from Blankenberge to Ardooie looks like the clearest sprint opportunity of the week. With very little climbing and a flat finishing circuit, it should favour the teams willing to control the race for their sprinters.

The picture changes sharply on stage three. The road to Geraardsbergen includes close to 2,000 metres of climbing, with the Paterberg, Oude Kruisberg, Kapelmuur and Bosberg all on the route. That is far less suited to the pure sprinters and is likely to play a major role in the general classification.

Stage four offers another difficult test, with repeated climbs and an uphill run to the finish. The stronger, more versatile fast men may still have a chance, but it is much less predictable than the opening two days.

The final stage in Leuven also looks more selective than a typical sprint stage. Its repeated climbs and technical circuit should encourage attacks, leaving the sprinters with work to do if they want one final shot at victory.