“Wherever he starts, he brings something extra" - Is Tim Merlier the fastest sprinter on the planet?

In the early months of the 2025 season, few sprinters have looked as dominant as Tim Merlier. The Belgian has already racked up six victories, showcasing explosive form and confirming his place among the world’s elite. Alongside Lidl-Trek’s Jonathan Milan, Merlier has emerged as one of the top contenders for sprint supremacy, with the likes of Jasper Philipsen and Biniam Girmay also looming ahead of a potential four-way battle for the green jersey at this year’s Tour de France.

As Merlier gears up for two key Belgian classics (the Classic Brugge-De Panne and Gent-Wevelgem) his team is shifting their priorities to maximise his winning chances. Soudal – Quick-Step sports director Iljo Keisse spoke to Wielerflits about Merlier’s electric start to the season and whether he is a contender in the upcoming classics.

“Yes, definitely. We have to be honest about that,” says Keisse when asked if Merlier can win either of the upcoming classics. “The races in which Tim is at the start and in which we go for a sprint, those are the races that we as a team have to fully focus on. Much more than Flanders or E3 Harelbeke, where we have sometimes broken away in recent years, in all honesty.

"In the past races with Tim, we have shown that he can always compete for the win. We have to shift our focus to the races in which we can actually win, and get the most out of them.”

With each start, Merlier brings more than just raw speed to the team, he brings a mindset. His consistency in recent months has impressed his team, but so has his relentless attitude even when he doesn’t win.

“Wherever he starts, he brings something extra. The figures he can put down are indeed very good. But what I find equally good: the two times that he couldn’t win, like in Kuurne – where he couldn’t sprint despite having set his mind to it – there is a great disappointment. He continues to have that winning mentality, despite the fact that he has already won a lot. The nice thing about Tim is: he wants to seize every opportunity and fight for everything. It is a luxury to go to the race with someone like that.”

For Keisse, ensuring the team is aligned with Merlier’s ambitions is essential. The message, he says, will be clear ahead of the upcoming classics.

“I think it is up to us to point that out to them, if necessary. For some it is not the case, for others it sometimes is. It will certainly be discussed in the meeting before the race, that these are very important days for us.”

Despite strong competition, including Milan and his powerful Lidl-Trek leadout, Keisse believes that when conditions are equal, Merlier remains the fastest man in the peloton.

“In all the sprints we have seen, he is clearly the fastest, yes. Lidl-Trek has an impressive train for Jonathan Milan. And Milan himself is also very impressive. But if they can start on an equal footing, in other words: if Tim is brought in well, then he will also beat Milan. It is only when he has to come from a bit further away that it is more difficult, like that one sprint that he just missed out on in the UAE Tour.”

Such is Merlier’s form that Soudal–Quick-Step have found a place for him on their Tour de France squad, a significant show of confidence, especially in a team built around general classification leader Remco Evenepoel. That decision also reflects a new approach in Merlier’s race calendar this season.

“He has chosen a different approach. In recent years, he has always continued straight to Nokere after Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico, mainly because it is one of his home races. Now he wanted to try something different by not racing during that period, also because he was not entirely convinced that he could compete for the win. Which turned out to be the case afterwards. It was also a kind of statement. He did not think it was the most beautiful arrival in Nokere, without the arrival on Nokereberg.”

The decision to skip Nokere and adjust his schedule may have given Merlier just the refresh he needed. After a physically demanding Paris-Nice (one not particularly kind to sprinters) he came out the other side healthy and well-prepared for the next block of racing.

“On the other hand, you are right that it was not the most fun edition in Paris-Nice. Tim also finished it, which many other sprinters did not do. Mads Pedersen did, because he had taken the green jersey from Tim. But luckily Tim was not ill. He just trained and let his body recover. Hopefully he is now fully recovered and fresh for the next two races.”

Now, all eyes turn to the windy plains of West Flanders and the unpredictable terrain of Gent-Wevelgem. While Brugge-De Panne is often a sprinter’s haven, Gent-Wevelgem can be a very different story depending on the weather.

“For Tim, that is not a disadvantage. Tim can pull his weight when the weather is bad, but he can also win a sprint when there are no echelons and just a bunch sprint. He should not be afraid, it does not matter to him. Brugge-De Panne is all about wind and a sprint. And if there is no wind, only the sprint remains. Sunday will be a completely different story in Gent-Wevelgem, where much worse weather is expected.”