"I didn't want to start... But he refused and kept me on the start list" - After forced Gent Wevelgem start, Tim Merlier rewards Quick-Step with 2nd place finish

So often a winner, Tim Merlier looked surprisingly happy to cross the line in 2nd at Gent Wevelgem 2025 on Sunday afternoon. As it turned out, a lot of that was owed to Soudal - Quick-Step team manager Iljo Keisse who had forced the European champion to start the Belgian classic, despite Merlier's own protests.

The reason for Merlier's uncertainty, was the lingering effects of a crash at Classic Brugge-De Panne in midweek. "I told Iljo that I didn't want to start, because I couldn't possibly be fit," the sprint sensation explained in his post-race interview afterwards, in quotes collected by Sporza. "But he refused and kept me on the starting list. So now I have to thank him."

With the eventual race winner - Lidl-Trek leader Mads Pedersen, taking the victory with a 55km+ solo however, Merlier is happy to admit that 2nd is probably the best result he could have hoped for on the day. "Mads Pedersen was so strong. I have to be satisfied with that, because I was never really in the race," he reflects. "I missed the fans the first time, but thanks to Yves Lampaert and Louis Vervaeke I was able to make the jump alone. I shot my best cartridge there. It was a solid effort."

"On the first Kemmelberg I fell through. I thought: 'Oh dear'. But after the Plugstreets I started to believe in it, because everyone would be at their wits' end. The explosiveness is gone then and that was my salvation," Merlier continued his analysis of his efforts of the day.

Now, it's onto the 'Sprinter's World Championships' at Scheldeprijs for the European champion. "That will be my most important race of the spring because of that crash. I especially hope that my knee will recover better, because the muscle gave me cramps," he concludes.