"You can only win against who’s there": Tim Merlier builds Tour form with unusual schedule

Many top riders turn their noses up at races at the lowest UCI level, but not Tim Merlier. We saw the top sprinter in action over the past weeks in the Tour of Hungary and recently in the Grote Prijs Criquielion and Antwerp Port Epic. The fast man from Soudal Quick-Step used these races as a foundation for his preparation for the Tour de France, where he is a top favorite in the bunch sprints.

Where he won three stages in Hungary, the team was somewhat targeted in the two Belgian one-day races. "It's always hard to control," Merlier responded to our camera. "Especially in the Antwerp Port Epic, it felt even more hectic than in previous years. When the decisive breakaway went up the road, I immediately called for the team to take control, so that if something happened, we could still do something. But we couldn’t close the gap, and there was no support either."

Altitude training camp
Merlier was not too bothered by this. His goals lie elsewhere, but as one of the biggest competitors in the peloton, he gladly takes part in such races. "There’s not much else on the calendar at the moment if you’re not riding the Giro," said the sprinter. "I also raced in Antwerp last year. I won my sprints and the level is high. I’m ready for the altitude training camp that awaits now."

His team Soudal Quick-Step agrees. "It’s definitely not bad to include these kinds of races in the preparation," says team director Tom Steels. "Tim was immediately strong in the Tour of Hungary. Normally, he would have gone to altitude earlier, but since he raced fewer events at the start of the season, we added these two races as well."

Challenging year
It has not been Merlier’s most fortunate year. Due to a knee injury, he had to delay the start of his season significantly. Upon his return in Scheldeprijs, he immediately beat Jasper Philipsen, but that does not change the fact that Merlier has had better years. "It’s not easy to be out for so long," says Steels. "But once he’s racing, he has that little extra that makes him stand out in the sprint."

"The recent races were a bit special, of course," says the team director. "Tim also had his share of bad luck, but showed that he wins his sprints. I think his current level is good. But he can only win sprints against whoever is there. The field wasn’t the strongest, but within the team, we have no fear that he would fall short at the top level."

According to Steels, though, there is still work to be done to challenge the very best. "I think he’s now quite stable in his build-up. His sprint is back, and he’s riding well. But that final bit still needs to come. At altitude, he will take the last step toward the Tour de France. Once he is fully back to top physical form, then we know that he is still one of the best sprinters in the world."

Two more races on the schedule
Before the Tour, Merlier will test his legs a few times more. Between June 17 and 21, he will face Dylan Groenewegen, Mads Pedersen, Olav Kooij, and normally also Jasper Philipsen, with three to four sprint opportunities in the Baloise Belgium Tour. The ultimate test awaits on June 28 in a flat Belgian Championship in Brasschaat, where Merlier will aim for his third title. Last year, he also won two stages in the Tour de France.