Merlier made it after 188.1 km with start in Deinze and finish in Nokere in the expected sprint with a clear difference ahead of the Dutchman Fabio Jakobsen (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin – Deceuninck).
Tim Wellens (UAE Emirates) tried to avoid a sprint in the final phase with several attacks, but he was finally caught more than 1 km from the finish. There was another crash in the final kilometer, but favorite Merlier was spared. He started the sprint very early and was able to make the victory gesture well before the finish line.
It is already his sixth victory of the season for the 31-year-old Merlier after stage wins in the AlUla Tour (2) and the UAE Tour (3).