Tim Merlier puts an end to Tour de France start speculations: "The plans were made before the season that I would not ride Tour"

Tim Merlier will not start this year's Tour de France. In recent months there has been a lot of speculation about Soudal Quick-Step's sprinter plans and the internal competition between Merlier and Fabio Jakobsen, but the Belgian champion has now put an end to the speculation.

Team boss Patrick Lefevere was hideous in previous interviews. "There are twelve candidates for the Tour. We'll see and it will be a natural selection, as is always the case in our team. This year will be no different," he said in the spring.

However, Tour was never a on plan of the day for Merlier, he now says in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. "I don't know how it is that it remains a theme. The plans were made before the season and it was already clear then that I would not ride Tour. It stays that way. I will start in the Vuelta a España."

"Tour de Suisse is my preparation for the Belgian Championship. If I don't make it too difficult for myself here, this is the ideal preparation for Izegem. There I find parcours that suit my qualities, but such a course is one where you can think of 1001 scenarios in advance and still be wrong."