Tim Merlier also forced to miss UAE Tour

Tim Merlier will not participate in this year's UAE Tour (February 16-22). This was reported by Het Laatste Nieuws. The UCI WorldTour stage race was originally on his schedule, but the Belgian suffered knee problems in December, resulting in a training setback. For this reason, he had already withdrawn from the AlUla Tour, which started today.

Merlier's knee issues first appeared in early December, but hospital examinations never clarified exactly what was wrong with the sprinter. By resting, Merlier eventually became pain-free again, but that period caused a loss of fitness.

Soudal Quick-Step is satisfied with Merlier's progress regarding his knee and training workload, according to HLN. However, the UAE Tour is still too soon and has therefore been removed from his program. It remains to be seen when Merlier will make his comeback. We might see him again at the Flemish opening weekend, but a training camp at altitude is also mentioned as a possible path towards Paris-Nice, where he intends to further prepare for the classics.