Turin, 13 July (LaPresse) – "I'm happy to have won here today and to have rewarded the team for all their hard work. There was tension throughout the day because of the wind, but in the end the group stayed together. The heat also made things difficult, so it wasn't an easy stage despite the route. We chased the breakaway riders hard, joined forces with the other teams and managed to catch them." These were the words of Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) after his sprint victory in the ninth stage of the Tour de France. ‘At the finish in Chateauroux, I lost Bert (Van Lerberghe, ed.) for a moment, then I found him again two kilometres from the finish line and I was relaxed and confident again, which allowed me to make a perfect sprint,’ he added. "I remember Cavendish's victory four years ago, and I'm happy to have been able to bring another victory to Soudal Quick-Step in this beautiful city. Two victories in two bunch sprints I took part in mean a lot to me, but also to the team."
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