Tim Merlier may have racked up 16 sprint wins in 2025, taking the title of Cyclingnews' top sprinter of the year in the process, but the Belgian has named an unexpected result as his best of the season just gone.
The 33-year-old, who won two stages of the Tour de France and Scheldeprijs last season, told former racer Jan Bakelants that his second place at Classic Gent-Wevelgem was his top result of the year.
In a conversation for Het Laatste Nieuws, Merlier explained his choice, noting that he was proud to be on the podium of a major cobbled Classic despite his reputation as a pure sprinter.
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"I'll choose that second place, yes. That evening, I went home feeling like I'd won the race. The same adrenaline that courses through your body in such a situation, the same happy hormone that manifests itself," Merlier said.
"It was a reckoning with doubts that had lingered until then – whether Gent-Wevelgem was truly for a pure sprinter like me against all those Classics specialists. Look, four days after my crash in the Classic Brugge-De Panne, I actually considered withdrawing.
"OK, I wasn't in the race all day, but when it mattered, I was there. That, in the presence of my family, was incredibly rewarding. I'll definitely return there to win."
Merlier's result, ahead of Jonathan Milan and Biniam Girmay but 49 seconds down on solo winner Mads Pedersen, was one of 20 podium spots scored during the 2025 season, a massive percentage of which – 80 – were wins.
As well as two Tour wins, in Dunkerque and Châteauroux ahead of Milan, Merlier also won six other times at WorldTour level, taking two stages apiece at the UAE Tour, Paris-Nice, and the Renewi Tour. He remained modest, however, saying that he's not labelling himself as the best sprinter in the world.
"I'll never say something like that about myself. Even if you get that label of 'fastest' or 'best'. At the end of January, the clocks always inevitably reset, and you have to prove yourself again. By extension, that also applies after every spring Classic and the Tour."
The Tour, hopefully, will figure in Merlier's plans again for 2026. He said that the "broad outline" of his 2026 campaign will not differ much from last season, although he's yet to discuss his goals with Soudal-QuickStep directeur sportif Iljo Keisse.
He said that he sees "about six sprint chances" next July, but noted that the race features a "really tough" parcours.
"There are about six sprint chances on paper, but I'll have to see if it actually turns into that many. Just like this year, we're in for a really tough edition – especially that final week and that penultimate stage!" Merlier said.
"Is all that really necessary? They're aiming for fewer sprints and more spectacle in Grand Tours, but the fact is that climbers and GC riders also get exhausted and need some recovery in that final phase. It doesn't always have to be harder to be beautiful, but then again, who am I? I'm not going to change the race."
Should he take on the Tour, Merlier will be hoping to add to his trio of stage wins at the 2021 and 2025 editions, more Grand Tour stages to add to his tally of seven, with four more coming across two editions of the Giro d'Italia.
He hasn't yet raced the Vuelta a España during his career, but competing the 'Grand Tour set' is also on his mind, even if combining two Grand Tours in one season is a challenging proposition, he said.
"It's in the back of my mind. The only thing missing is a Vuelta stage win," Merlier said.
"Even there, the courses aren't the easiest. There are few other sprinters, which makes it harder to control and therefore harder to win. I've been asking to ride the Vuelta for a few years now, but combining it with another Grand Tour isn't mentally feasible for me. I've done it once so far, in 2021, and won at both the Giro and Tour."
