"The Ciclamino Jersey could become an objective" - Tim Merlier does not rule out chasing more than stage wins at the Giro d'Italia

Tim Merlier will race the Giro d'Italia this year, finally returning to the Grand Tours after not being selected in 2023. He leads Soudal - Quick-Step in the search of success in the sprints but may also target the points classification.

“It's a good thing. The more sprinters there are, the more teams work to bring the race to the sprint. Furthermore, you also understand more quickly when and how to form a small group in the mountain stages," Merlier said in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. "My goal is to win a stage. Then I will think about the next stage and, along the way, the Ciclamino Jersey could become an objective. But I will focus on the individual sprints." Merlier is clear; and after wins at the AlUla Tour, UAE Tour, Nokere Koerse and Scheldeprijs, he has every reason to be confident.

His leadout man Bert van Lerberghe will race with him, as will American talent Luke Lamperti who may be his last man in the leadout. “In 2021 I only had Alexander Krieger with me. [Josef] Cerny is someone who can also set the pace for sprints and, as a teammate, he is great," the Belgian adds. "If I have any problem, I know he will be the first to help me. He is a wonderful person."

There will be plenty opportunities to succeed, and the Belgian is looking to add a third Grand Tour win to his palmarès. “There could be at least six sprint finishes, more than in 2021. But we will have to hold on on several occasions, there are at least a couple of stages in which there are difficult stretches in the last part. For me it shouldn't be a problem, but it's clear that we won't get to the sprint easily. With profiles of that type, the possibility of the sprint skipping must be taken into consideration."