Tim Merlier (31) rode his first grand tour in 2021. That was also the Giro and Merlier immediately won a stage. This year he hopes to do at least as well.
Little to no stress for Tim Merlier on the eve of the start of the Giro. The opening weekend is so tough that there is nothing for the Soudal Quick-Step sprinter to gain. Only from Monday will his search for a stage victory really begin. “Although I don’t really have an idea how many sprint opportunities there will be,” laughs Merlier. “So it is difficult for me to express myself about certain stages, let alone stage victories. The points jersey? Wow, there are so many sprinters here. Milan won it last year and is one of the sprinters who can easily survive slopes. For me it is the favorite for the purple points jersey.”
At the age of 31, Merlier is still only riding his fourth Grand Tour. “Because cyclocross was my great love. Everything changed when I suddenly became national road champion in 2020. I made my debut in the Giro, won a stage and, at the request of the team, left the race after ten days so that I could also start in the Tour. I have now reached a phase where I will do a Grand Tour every year.”
Tim Merlier won a stage in the Giro in 2021. — © LAPRESSE
For Merlier it is only the first time that he starts a big tour together with soulmate and lead-out Bert Van Lerberghe. “Bert will do well, for sure. Can he do something for me in the mountain stages? I know him now. He will do everything he can to get rid of me to prove that he is the better climber. Once he has made that point, he will support me.”
Merlier thinks he has also become a better climber. After the classics he went to Tenerife to gain some climbing rhythm on the flanks of the Teide. “Just to make it easier for me to survive the mountains. But you can send me to Mount Teide for a full year, but you will never be able to turn me into a climber.”
