It will be a special tour for both Tim Merlier and Bert Van Lerberghe. Merlier, European champion and top favorite for the Sprint, gets his chance for a first stage victory in the opening stages. Van Lerberghe, himself 32 and from Kortrijk, acts as a permanent sprint tractor.
“The pressure on Tim and the other spurters is always there,” says Van Lerberghe. “It is now the Tour, and a yellow sweater depends on it, but we are tackling it like in Ghent-Wevelgem or the Schelded prize.”