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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