"I am the first to pay him properly" - Patrick Lefevere appreciates the value of European champion Tim Merlier
Cycling
Tim Merlier was crowned European road champion on Sunday. It was already the fourteenth season victory for the sprinter, who at the age of 31 is more successful than ever. However the road to the top wasn't easy for the man who only turned professional at the age of 25.
In an interview with Het Nieuwsblad, Soudal - Quick-Step (his current team) manager Patrick Lefevere suggests that Merlier was severely underpaid in his previous team Alpecin-Deceuninck: "The Roodhoofts got Tim for a bargain price at the time," he said. "Which in their case was smart. Tim is only now starting to earn his money properly. I am the first to pay him properly."
His late bloom isn't quite surprising as Merlier previously competed mainly in cyclocross. Lefevere doesn't want to overthink about what would've happened if the Belgian turned his attention to road earlier: "Ultimately, it's figs after Easter. Tim is not someone who thinks that way either. He never talks about it like that. He is happy that he is earning a good living at the moment, with correct bonuses too."
Moreover, the years before the big road successes have also shaped Merlier in a good way, according to Lefevere. "Tim knows what it is like to not be successful as a rider. He will always keep doing what he is doing, even now that he is winning so much. In that, he is truly one of the last of the Mohicans. Give me fifteen Merliers in the team," he concludes, laughing.
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- yeah, that’s a more fair assessment. “reaching mathieu’s level” doesn’t mean you’re planning to replicate his whole career. the former IS doable, potentially. it’s just the latter that likely is not.OCexile25-12-2024
- That’s not entirely true. Every person follows their own development path and peaks differently. Remco and Primoz had hardly started cycling before elite level. Jonas was pretty much under the radzr until he unexpectedly had to take over responsibility at JV. Some guys only get real good in their thirties others have peaked mid-twenties. You can’t tell in advance how and upto what level they will progress, obviously his career might not have MVDPs length but nothing says he could not end up doing a few seasons at his level.Mistermaumau25-12-2024
- well, del grosso is 21 right now. when mathieu was a year younger than that, he was already winning elite level world championships, not U23. i think del grosso will be a very good pro for years, but if he was really going to be the next van der poel someday, he’d already have to be at that level right NOW. van der poel was showing signs of true greatness when he was 15-16. THAT’S what generational talent looks like.OCexile25-12-2024
- Yeah.... gear 😅.mikolajjj24-12-2024
- It shouldn’t be about expectations in the first place should it? Besides, if you look at everyone’s calculations as a whole they don’t add up in the first place. There’ll be 2-3 riders with a 50% chance, a dozen with 10 or 20% and dozens more with a 5% so we’re expecting at least 2 if not 3 winners. Remind me again who won before her? Says it all about using data to decide on participation.Mistermaumau24-12-2024
- Ok, happy I’m not too interested in this team coz’ the account of what happened is really hard to follow.Mistermaumau24-12-2024
- The UCI is worse than USA CyclingVeganpotter24-12-2024
- It's not like they wanted her to not win😅 She had an outstanding Olympics. But there's a reason why she wasn't expected to win the road race and that's ok. Things like this happen and it's great...better than seeing expected winners win.Veganpotter24-12-2024
- Bruyneel ? The man with a lifetime ban from cycling...why do you keep giving him and his doper mate, Armstrong, a platform?DJ24-12-2024
- yeah, agree. on the subject of being a “complete rider,” i do think that’s getting more interesting. mathieu seems to have decided he wants to get much better at climbing the the high mountain passes. he appears to be looking for new challenges, which should be interesting to watch. in most cases you’d dismiss a goal like that at age 30, but it’s mvdp. he’s never going to climb with the real climbers, but if he can improve enough it could open up stage wins when the parcours isnt just purely toothy and punchy.OCexile24-12-2024