‘I won't accept defeat next time’ Tim Merlier angry with Philipsen after Classic Brugge-De Panne sprint clash

Belgian Jasper De Buyst of Lotto Dstny, Belgian Tim Merlier of Soudal Quick-Step and Dutch Danny van Poppel of Bora-Hansgrohe sprint to the finish of the 'Classic Brugge-De Panne' men's elite one-day cycling race, 198,9 km from Brugge to De Panne, Wednesday 20 March 2024. BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM (Photo by DIRK WAEM / BELGA MAG / Belga via AFP) (Photo by DIRK WAEM/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Tim Merlier shook hands with Jasper Philipsen on the podium of Classic Brugge-De Panne but the Soudal-Quick Step sprinter was not happy about having to hit the brakes 200 metres from the line after a shoulder-to-shoulder clash with his rival.

Merlier waved his hand at Philipsen after the finish, displaying clear frustration. The Milan-San Remo winner hit the line first and so shrugged off any suggestion of wrongdoing but Merlier wasn’t happy to finish second.

Stephen Farrand
Head of News

Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.