Is Tim Merlier suddenly the leader of Soudal Quick-Step? “Five years ago I wouldn’t have believed that”

Interview The troops of Soudal Quick-Step did not fare well in the Flemish classics. His leaders Julian Alaphilippe, Kasper Asgreen and Yves Lampaert did not give up completely for the time being, but on the other hand there are the four victories of Belgian champion Remco Evenepoel and the seven victories of Tim Merlier.

The sprinter from Wortegem-Petegem simply gave Patrick Lefevere’s team two Flemish semi-classics. You can still minimize the impact of Nokere Koerse, but as the oldest classic in Flanders, the Scheldeprijs still has a good place on the list of achievements. “This is a top classic for sprinters,” says lead out Bert Van Lergberghe. “I would not put the Scheldeprijs on the same level as Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders and E3 Prize, but I would put it with the Classic Brugge-De Panne and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.”

Fastest in the world
A few years ago you could still classify those races for a team like Soudal Quick-Step as snacks, but after the team’s poor spring, the sprint races perhaps became the biggest winning opportunities of the spring. “With Tim there we always have a good chance in the sprint. That is very motivating and it pulls the team up,” says Van Lerberghe. “I think Tim is one of the fastest in the world, if not the fastest when it comes to sprinting.”

For Van Lerberghe, his teammate is no less than man-in-form Jasper Philipsen. “One year Jasper is the best in the world, the next Tim. Out of the ten times they sprint against each other, they will each win five times,” said the lead-out.

“Confidence was high anyway before the sprint,” Merlier himself agrees. “If I get free space, I know I’m hard to beat. Only if there is a very fast man in the wheel, it is always a little more dangerous if you attack from far away. We saw that in Tirreno-Adriatico, where Philipsen came over me in the last hundreds of meters.”

Extra pressure?
For Merlier, the motto was mainly to remain calm. Even when he had to deal with a flat tire fifteen kilometers from the end. “That’s easier if you’ve already won a few races. My victory count was already at seven, my season was already good. This way I was able to take my time to drive back to the front. I also knew that I should not take any risks in the bends with my new carriage.”

You would think that – considering all those peripheral circumstances – there was pressure on Merlier. But he sees it differently. “In principle, I look forward to the Scheldeprijs in the same way as I would towards any other sprinter’s race. I don’t feel like there is more pressure on my shoulders. You know that for a sprinter every flat race is important, and I try to seize every opportunity. Of course that is not obvious. When you have the team meeting and the crucial points are put on the table, you get a bit nervous. But no more than usual.”

“On the other hand, if you had told me five years ago that I would be the perfect man at Soudal Quick-Step, I would not have believed it,” Merlier said at the press conference. “I think we have enough talent in the team, but if some leaders don’t do well from the start, it is difficult to turn the switch. Compare it to a sprinter who cannot win early in the season. But I prove that we will certainly not be outpaced and that it is possible for us to win.”

Realistic
That is precisely why you saw that winning the Scheldeprijs was extra gratifying for the blue brigade. “We had hoped to do better in the classics,” Van Lerberghe admits. “That went a bit wrong due to small things. But it is still the Scheldeprijs that we win here, and the spring is not ready yet. We also have a few men who can go far on Sunday in Paris-Roubaix. And if you can go far, you can win. We hope so.”

With Merlier himself, the story always sounds a little more modest and nuanced. “You have to be realistic. Today I get the status of leader and tomorrow there will be a nice title in the newspaper, but next week many people will have already forgotten that. Next week I have to prove myself again. If my eighth victory of the season lasts until August, I will also receive comments.”