"His sprint is back" - Tim Merlier backed for Tour de France redemption after knee injury frustration

Tim Merlier may have left Monday's Antwerp Port Epic frustrated after the breakaway had their day and he had to settle for a bunch sprint for minor places, but both he and his team know things are falling into place just in time. The Soudal - Quickstep sprinter now heads to altitude training to fine tune preparations for the Tour de France.

The Belgian has only raced eleven days this season and made his 2026 debut at the end of March thanks to a stubborn knee injury that derailed much of his spring plans. Ending last season as one of the best fast men in the world, when Merlier has come to the line for a bunch sprint this year, he has already underlined just that even without his usual training and preparation.

He took a big win at Scheldeprijs and Ronde van Limburg to remind the sprinters that he did dominate at last year's Tour de France. He then lined out at the Tour de Hongrie earlier this month, taking an emphatic three stage wins before frustration in Antwerp. After the race, Merlier reflected on the increasingly hectic and demanding nature of racing.

“It is always difficult to control,” Merlier told Wielerflits. “It felt even more hectic than in previous years, especially in the Antwerp Port Epic. When the decisive breakaway rode away, I immediately indicated that we should take control with the team. So that if something happened, we could still do something. But we couldn't close the gap anymore and there was no support either.”

Now Merlier returns to training, highlighting the quietening of the season as the Giro d'Italia continues. Although injury means his schedule is a little different to usual, the 33-year-old's team is confident he can re-establish himself among the best in the peloton.

“There isn't much else on the calendar at the moment if you aren't riding the Giro. Last year I also rode in Antwerp. I won my sprints and the level is high. I am ready for the altitude training camp that awaits now.”

Soudal - Quickstep team manager Tom Steels said: "Tim was immediately good in the Tour of Hungary. Normally, he would have started his altitude training a bit earlier, but because he had ridden fewer races at the start of the season, we included these two.”

“It is not easy to be out for so long. But once he starts, he has that little extra something that makes him stand out in the sprint.”

Build-up to his big season goal is now 'stable' and work specifically on higher-end efforts are to be fine-tuned. The Tour de France looms on July 4th for the Wolfpack man, but he's also targeting the Baloise Belgium Tour from June 17th to 21st as well as the Belgian national championships on June 28th.

Steels continued: “I think he is quite stable in his build-up now. His sprint is back, and he is riding well. But that final bit still needs to be added. During the altitude training camp, he will take the final step towards the Tour de France."

"If he is fully back up to speed physically after that, then we know that he is still one of the best in the world at the sprint.”