“Tim Merlier has not been able to train without pain” – Soudal - Quick-Step reveal worrying situation for former European champion

The early-season sprint picture is already forming across the peloton. Wins are being taken. Leadouts are settling. Fast men are finding rhythm. And one of the very fastest of them all is not even part of that conversation yet.

According to Soudal - Quick-Step CEO Jurgen Fore, Tim Merlier is still unable to train properly after a complex knee irritation that has disrupted his entire winter build, leaving the Belgian without any concrete race plans and with his 2026 season now unlikely to begin before mid to late March.

“It is not a serious injury, but an irritation,” Fore explained in conversation with HLN. “Tim can walk and run without pain, but during the cycling movement he has problems. We know the cause and the decision of the medical staff is to approach it very conservatively with rest and exercises.”

That conservative approach has come at a significant cost.

Merlier has been struggling with knee issues since early December. First the left knee, then the right, during the December training camp. After a short rest, he resumed cautious training in January with rides of two hours, sometimes twice per day, combined with specific strengthening work.

“It seemed to be going well, but last Wednesday, at the end of the camp, he felt pain again in the right knee. We immediately intervened, treated the knee again and prescribed ten days of rest. Next Monday, we will assess whether the problem has passed.”

The most revealing line came later. “Tim has not been able to train for two weeks without pain.”

Merlier has already been ruled out of the AlUla Tour, the UAE Tour and now the Belgian Opening Weekend. The team is no longer even working towards a specific return date.

“The Opening Weekend is impossible for Tim,” Fore admitted. “Tim has not been able to train for two weeks without problems. He will be able to race at the earliest in mid-March or late March, but we do not want to cling to one date or race. For now, we are not making plans with Tim. Hopefully, from Monday, we get the green light from the doctors, and he can finally start building his season.”

The earliest realistic target is now Nokere Koerse in mid March.

That is not a delayed start. That is a rider who, by the team’s own admission, has not yet begun his proper season preparation.

On reputation and proven speed, Merlier sits in the absolute top tier of the world’s sprinters alongside Jasper Philipsen, Jonathan Milan and Olav Kooij.

Over the past two seasons, he has been one of the most reliable pure bunch sprinters in the peloton. When Merlier starts a season normally, he wins early and he wins fast. That has become his pattern.

This winter has broken that pattern completely.

While some of his main sprint rivals are already racing, sharpening sprint timing, building cohesion with their leadout trains, and collecting early-season victories, Merlier is still effectively in a rehabilitation phase.

Fore’s words make that clear. There has been no sustained intensity work. No sprint repetitions. No proper build. No race simulation. No continuity.

Compared to the other elite sprinters, Merlier is weeks behind in preparation.

If Merlier lines up at Nokere Koerse, he will not be arriving as one of the peloton’s fastest men. He will be arriving as a rider returning to racing.

That is an unusual position for him to be in.

Normally, Merlier is the rider who forces the sprint conversation to revolve around him from day one of the season. In 2026, for the first time in years, he is the one playing catch-up.

That does not change his raw ability. It does not change what he is capable of once fully fit. But in February 2026, Merlier is not yet the Merlier the peloton fears.

He is the Merlier the peloton is waiting to see come back.