Tim Merlier captured stage 4 of the Renewi Tour in Bilzen-Hoeselt by navigating out of a boxed position and exploding through a right-side gap to win the sprint. Pavel Bittner narrowly took second in a photo finish, with Olav Kooij fading to third after opening his sprint too early. Race leader Arnaud De Lie retained the overall jersey ahead of the final stage, with Mathieu van der Poel one second behind and Tim Wellens third at 21 seconds. A six-rider breakaway formed early, opening a gap over four minutes before Michel Ries left the group with 40km to go. The race finishes with a lumpy stage around Leuven.
Merlier had to find his way out of the cluster in the final 300 metres, trying first to follow Kooij but then seeing no way through. Finding a hole on the right as Kooij opened his sprint on the left, Merlier shot out of the pack to snatch the victory as Kooij faded. "This one is a really difficult finish, but the guys brought me into good position," Merlier said.
"We were then a bit boxed in the last 500 metres, but I could come out. At first, Kooij was in the lead, but I think he went a bit too early and I felt he couldn't hold it. He was slowing down and it was enough for me to win. "I was a bit boxed in. We were on the side of Kooij, but it didn't open, so I chose the other side and then it was all-in until the finish."
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