Tim Merlier proud of millimeter victory at UAE Tour: I have already booked bigger victories but almost every sprinter is here
Cycling
Tim Merlier was one of the big favourites to win the opening stage of the UAE Tour, however it was a long day out in the saddle as he battled across the crosswinds. It ended up being a perfect day for Soudal - Quick-Step as they captured the stage win and made big moves in the overall classification.
“I was really not sure, because Caleb did a good jump,” Merlier said in a post-race interview. “When I started my sprint, I felt good. But Caleb came off the wheel and then he's always dangerous. It was really very close. We waited fifteen minutes to see who won, but I am very proud to say that I was able to win here."
A photo-finish sprint was the result of a long day in the strong winds of the desert. Although not having been part of the initial echelons, the Belgian team managed to bring Merlier back to the front, and then have big numbers in the decisive split inside the final kilometers.
It was nevertheless a day for the sprinters, with the survivors battling it out. Merlier outsprinted Caleb Ewan, however it took almost 15 minutes for the decision to be made as not even the photo-finish could tell the two apart.
In the end the team succeeded. Remco Evenepoel also made a significant move towards GC success as UAE's leaders have all lost time. “And we now have the stage victory. I also have to thank Remco for that, he rode great and was so strong. But the final victory is certainly not yet in for him. We still have six days to go. He hits a good shot, but we take it day by day.”
Asked if this had been the biggest win of his career, he responds: “No, because I have already won in the Tour and Giro. I have already booked bigger victories. But almost every sprinter is here and it was a tough race.”
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The Belgian will have three more opportunities to strike, but with the stage win in the pocket and Remco Evenepoel's GC ambitions better than ever, that will now be Soudal - Quick-Step's main ambitions.
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- A mindset that reminds me of Tim Declerq. I loved watching that guy just pound away the kilometers, hours at the front, holding an entire breakaway in check on his own. Bjerg seems like a similar guy. Curling, the team sport.RidesHills04-11-2026
- He will be lol, but he can still win on the climbs hahaawp04-11-2026
- I would love to have his inconsistency. How many wins this year? 2 TdF stages, a WC, a Euro championship, San Sebastian, multiple wins early year. Monument podiums. I'd take it. I don't think he has a chance in the TdF, but he is still amazing.mij04-11-2026
- He's not going to win the TdF. Maybe if they make every single stage a TT he could win. But I still believe Tadej would just sharpen his TT skills and win.mij04-11-2026
- You beat me to it. Should he make a full recovery (likely) and go light early in the year. One, two, three. Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Should he be on a Feel-Like-He's-Fixin'-to-Die High.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- The deciding factor may be the (TBD) number of (any type of) kilometers without Pogacar.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- Unexplained chronic fatigue is an all too common bitch. The hard to find definitive answer may lie buried in gut mechanisms. A mystery of the deep.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- It's weird to say Evenepoel would be making a "serious mistake by adding the 2027 Giro d'Italia to his calendar, warning that such a decision could even be interpreted as a lack of confidence in his ability to win the Tour de France." It may well be a mistake but with so many commentators (of all sorts) continuously claiming almost everything Remco does as being a mistake, almost nobody should care what the pundits and the disparagers should say. His team may not want him to do the Giro, and that matters. But it's possibly or probably up to Remco to decide and it may not have to be decided on until a month or so ahead of the race. Yes , Remco is inconsistent much like the majority of the best riders but he's enjoying a period of not having been recently injured (or sick). Whatever he does he need not be concerned with critics who will second guess any perceived failure no matter what. I suspect he will have enough other races on his schedule so he won't be considering it. But the worst reason to not race it is because of what some will say - humorous that be.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- I'll say clean sweep all grand tourZamorano04-11-2026
- And the place he calls home is in Slovenia with his parents.RidesHills04-11-2026
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That’s a lot of podium visits, @MerlierTim 😃 #UAETour
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