Tim Merlier appears free of knee problems: "But it definitely held me back"

He seemed set to start his cycling season at the AlUla Tour, but due to knee problems, he has to skip the multi-day race in the Middle East. How is the speedy Soudal Quick-Step rider doing now? "So far, it's going well," Merlier said this weekend at the Velofollies bike expo in an interview with Sporza.

The knee issues first appeared in early December, but hospital examinations never clarified the exact problem for Merlier. By resting, the sprinter was eventually able to move pain-free again, but that period caused a setback in his conditioning, he had revealed earlier. Therefore, the AlUla Tour was ruled out.

"So far, it's going well," he now says. "I'm trying to maintain that, as it's a light at the end of the tunnel. It doesn't really bother me anymore. I'm still taking it easy, but it definitely hindered me. The preparation did not go as it should have."

"Cameron’s (Vandenbroucke, his partner’s, ed.) grandfather always says you win races in the winter. This winter wasn't what it should have been. But I'm doing everything I can to go into the classics in good shape."

Merlier had also planned to ride the UAE Tour and Paris-Nice before the classics, but whether he will make those races is still uncertain.