Good signs pre-Tour for Merlier and De Lie at Brussels Classic
In his first race since Paris-Roubaix, Tim Merlier began his Tour de France build-up as well as could be hoped with victory at the Brussels Cycling Classic. The 205.5-kilometre race takes in some of the most iconic roads and features of the celebrated Spring Classics, including the Muur van Geraardsbergen and Bosberg climbs, before returning for a flat finish on the outskirts of the Belgian capital.
While it's a great win for Merlier, perhaps the even more notable result was Arnaud De Lie's third-place finish. The young Belgian has had a 2025 to forget so far, besides his storied Étoile de Bessèges stage win, with his major goals derailed by illness and/or overtraining. The last race he finished was Brugge–De Panne, with a DNF at Gent-Wevelgem a few days later marking the end of a disastrous spring campaign, and an uncomfortable few weeks behind the scenes as some at Lotto made their disappointment known.
De Lie's anticipated start at what would be his second Tour de France was coming into question, but this result comes at just the right time for the young Belgian.
[race_result id=64 stage_id=0 count=5 gc=0 year=2025]
