“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.”