168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) experienced a whirlwind of emotions in the final two kilometres of today's sprint final at the UAE Tour, from ꦯthinking "it was over", to avoiding a crash and then suddenly lookin🍸g like he'd won at a canter with a devastating long sprint.

It wasn't quite the dramatics of winning a crash-marred sprint before colliding into a soigneur and crashing past the finish as it was yest𒐪erday. However, the Belgian is struggling to win a textbo📖ok sprint at the moment. Not that it will bother him, particularly, as victories are the only currency he deals in.

The European champion was nowhere near the position he wanted after a change in direction with just under 2km to go squeezed the peloton and saw him get disconnected෴ from right-hand lead-out man Bert Van Lerberghe.

Looking at the overhead view of the peloton after the bunch went under the 1km to go banner, Merlier wasn't even in a picture. How he found a lane to sprint in at all is remarkable, but he somehow managed it with some good timing and fortune, just as he has into🃏 Abu Dhabi Breakwater for the past two UAE Tours.

"I was in big trouble today," said Merlier after the finish. "We tried to organise it again like yesterday but I think with the headwind 💜and a narrowing at 1.9km to go, I lost Bert. Then I was behind and he didn't come back and I was already too far.

"I tried to move up 💞but I didn't find a ga🀅p and then I had to break a bit too much also for safety reasons with 1.5km to go." 

Merlier was forced to pull on the breaks in the physical bunch after bumping shoulders with 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) and others looking💞 for an ideal position.

This ended with Matteo Malucelli (XDS-Astana) touching Merlier'🍌s back wheel and crashing, also leading to Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers) hitting the desk for the second day running.

It was all accidental, but after somehow not crashing himself, Merlier had to refocus and try to muster up something special if he was to challenge for the win, having been p💮ushed back several positions.

At this point, cycling's other two best sprinters – Milan and 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) – were both better positioned thanಞ him. Merlier had to take a chance and shot up the inside, even with the headwind buffeting him, and stormed past the Tudor-led peloton to get a gap.

Then, not ⛎only did he outfox his rivals but completely outpowered them.

"I thought it was over," said Merlier. "But then I found a gap with 300 to go and I tried to su🌸rprise everyone. I had to hold it to the line and it was a long effort with🥃 the headwind but I'm happy I stayed in front.

"I found a gap on the right side and passed guys from Alpecin and Tudor on the front, then saw the other sprinters [had not gone] at that mome꧅nt. When I launched I knew I had made a good move but i𒐪f someone with fast legs could follow then it would have been a big problem."

Philipsen, for the first time since Paris-Nice in 2022, leaves a stage race without taking a victory. It's just his first race of the season b♑ut the Belgian did concede that he simply doesn't have the top-end speed yet.

"It was chaotic again like every day. Really easy stage and then a really intense final," Philipsen told reporters, including Cyclingnews, at the finish.

"I think it was a fair sprint and Tim was coming with a lot of speed from the back. I was quite OK [positioning-wise], maybe I had to take a bit of wi🍒nd.

"Of course not all the sprints were perfect but I just missed a little bit of speed I thinꦉk. I trained really hard the last couple of months but it's just easy spinning every day so it makes i🐎t different - I don't have the fastest sprinting legs at the moment."

Merlier didn't quite know what his top speed was in the sprint today but 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Fabio Jakobsen (Picnic PostNL) told De Telegraaf that he had reached 71kph in the final charge for the line. It's ൲a trend that is only going upwards.

"We will s🤡ee it later but yesterday was like 72kph or something," Merlier said. "We go faster and faster every year."

While it seemed as though Milan was powerin💙g his way to the undisputed sprint king crown at the UAE Tour's unofficial 'sprinters World Championships' wi♉th two stage wins, Merlier has evened the score and showed dominance in the past two flat finishes. 

Philipsen may be the loser of the week but the battle for all-out sprint supremacy should unfold later this season at the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tour de France, when all three of cycling's top 🌳fast men should race each othe🦩r in the biggest race for the first time.

Tꩲhe Alpecin-Deceuninck man is, however, by far the most e♋xperienced of the three in the pandemonium that unfolds in the Tour's sprints as a nine-time winner.