"I don't have any cockiness at all" - Tim Merlier keeps his feet firmly on the ground despite recent successes

Tim Merlier has emerged as arguably the best sprinter in the world in terms of pure speed in 2024. Taking 14 wins this calendar year so far, the Belgian most recently triumphed in the men's elite road race at the European Championships.

Given his immense form this year, Merlier has seen a noted rise in the media hype surrounding him. “That is a sign that my performances are noticed by the experts." the Soudal - Quick-Step sprint star says in conversation with RIDE Magazine. "But it is up to me to keep proving myself, right? Whether I can maintain that status with those people.”

Although Merlier has always been a sprinter capable of taking big wins, in 2024 the aforementioned European Championship title and three stages of the Giro d'Italia have seen a marked improvement in the Belgian's level. “I was a rider who kept growing year after year. I realized pretty quickly that I was a late bloomer," he explains, although he insists the sprints aren't getting any easier. “It is clear that the level in the races is higher every year. You can see that in the numbers that the riders ride, but you also feel it in the speeds in the race. Yes, also in the speeds in the sprint. Just look at the wide peloton that is still together 400 meters before the finish line in a mass sprint. If you look at sprints from ten, twenty years ago, everyone was spread out in the last kilometres, while now everyone rides on a handkerchief.”

"The timing of the attack and the positioning has become even more important," continues Merlier. "There’s less and less space, so there are many more factors at play that can make the difference between winning and losing.”

In himself and the rest of the sprinting contenders though, Merlier can see a notable difference. “Sometimes when I hear other sprinters chatting, I think… My card is completely different. I notice that myself, yes. I don't have any cockiness at all," he concludes.