ABU DHABI, 22nd February, 2025 (WAM) -- Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) proved once again that he is one of the fastest men in the peloton, taking his second consecutive stage victory at the UAE Tour with a powerful sprint on Stage 6 in Abu Dhabi. The Belgian launched a perfectly timed move, surprising his rivals and crossing the line with a commanding gap.

After already winning Stage 5, Merlier showed no signs of slowing down, dominating the final bunch sprint and holding off fellow Belgian Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), who rounded out the podium.

"I saw a gap and tried to surprise the rest," Merlier said after the stage. "It worked out perfectly, and I'm really happy to get two wins here."

The European Champion's explosive finishing speed has now made him one of the standout sprinters of this year's UAE Tour. His back-to-back victories put him level with Milan, who has also taken two stage wins in this edition of the race.

The final kilometers were chaotic, with teams jostling for position on the wide roads of Abu Dhabi. Merlier, however, showed brilliant race instincts, choosing the perfect moment to launch his sprint.

Despite the presence of top-tier rivals like Philipsen, Milan, and Fabio Jakobsen, Merlier's acceleration was simply too strong. He powered across the line with clear daylight behind him, cementing his place as the most in-form sprinter of the race.

"Today I kept my calm and..." said Pogacar. When asked if he got bored, he admitted, "Yes, absolutely. I think all of the bunch was pretty bored today at some point. But uh yeah, that's also cycling."

"It was cool to ride through the city, but there was so many cat eyes and these little bumps in the road, so you still had to be a little bit focused."