 Merlier in 2022 asBelgian national road race champion | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Tim Merlier | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1992-10-30)30 October 1992 (age 32) Kortrijk,Flanders, Belgium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 74 kg (163 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current team | Soudal–Quick-Step | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disciplines |
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| Role | Rider | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rider type |
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| Professional teams | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | Sunweb–Revor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Vastgoedservice–Golden Palace | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Vérandas Willems–Crelan(road) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Crelan–Charles(cyclo-cross) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Pauwels Sauzen–Vastgoedservice(road) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Creafin–Tüv Süd(cyclo-cross)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | Corendon–Circus[2][3][4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Soudal–Quick-Step | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Major wins | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Grand Tours
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Medal record
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Tim Merlier (born 30 October 1992) is a Belgian cyclist who rides forUCI WorldTeamSoudal–Quick-Step.[5]
Considered to be one of the fastest sprinters in the world, Merlier has over 50 wins as a professional,[6] including one stage win at the2021 Tour de France and four at theGiro d'Italia (2021 and 2024).[7][8] Merlier won the2024 European Road Race Championship, and is a two-time winner of theBelgian National Road Race Championships, winning in 2019 and 2022.[9][10]
Merlier also competes in cyclo-cross, having previously raced at the2016 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Heusden-Zolder.[11][12]
Initially acyclo-cross specialist, Merlier turned professional withSunweb–Revor in 2011, after having been anational junior champion two seasons prior. With the team, he saw modest success on the under-23 level, winning a round of the2012–13 Under-23 Bpost Bank Trophy, in addition to several podiums in high level races.
In 2015, he joinedVastgoedservice–Golden Palace, where he had his first notable result in a road race, placing third inSchaal Sels. The following year, he took his first pro road win at theGrote Prijs Stad Zottegem.
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Following this win, he transferred toUCI Professional Continental teamVérandas Willems–Crelan for the 2017 season. In his second season with the team, he took two stage victories and the points classification at theDanmark Rundt.[13]
From this point on, his road career started to take off, joiningPauwels Sauzen–Vastgoedservice in 2019.[2] This year marked his most notable win yet: theBelgian national road race championship, in addition to another stage of theDanmark Rundt as well as the one-dayElfstedenronde. In 2020, he again had three wins, including his firstUCI ProSeries event: theBrussels Cycling Classic, and his first win at theUCI WorldTour level, winning stage six ofTirreno–Adriatico, both in sprint finishes.[14][15][16]
In 2021, Merlier took several victories in Belgian semi-classics, including theBredene Koksijde Classic,Le Samyn,Grote Prijs Jean-Pierre Monseré,Ronde van Limburg and a second win of theElfstedenronde.[17][18] He also placed third in theDwars door Vlaanderen.[19] In May, he entered his firstGrand Tour: theGiro d'Italia, where he won the second stage in a sprint ahead ofGiacomo Nizzolo andElia Viviani.[20] In the process he took over the lead of the points classification, but dropped out after stage 10. In July, he took arguably the most important result of his career so far, winning stage three of theTour de France, outsprintingJasper Philipsen andNacer Bouhanni.[8]
Merlier had a strong start to 2022, winning the second stage ofTirreno–Adriatico in March, followed by theNokere Koerse andClassic Brugge–De Panne later that month.[21][22][23] In June, he was crowned thatNational Champion for a second time in a photo finish withJordi Meeus.[10] In August he won the bronze medal in theEuropean Road Race Championships, and competed in his firstVuelta a España. He ended the year with a win at theMemorial Rik Van Steenbergen in October.
In August 2022, Merlier signed a three-year contract withUCI WorldTeamSoudal–Quick-Step.[24] Early into his first year with the team, he took several wins in the Middle East, including a stage of theTour of Oman and two stages and the points classification of theUAE Tour. He maintained this momentum going into March with a stage win ofParis–Nice, and defending his title atNokere Koerse ten days later.[25] In August, he won two stages of theTour de Pologne, followed by theGrand Prix de Fourmies a month later.[26] In total, Merlier had 11 wins this season, his most successful to date.
Going into 2024, Merlier again showed strong form in the early season, taking two stages and the points classification of theAlUla Tour and three stages and the points classification of theUAE Tour. He placed second toJasper Philipsen on stage two ofTirreno–Adriatico, but beat him at theNokere Koerse, taking the race for a third consecutive year.[27][28] He again was outsprinted by Philipsen a week later at theClassic Brugge–De Panne but rallied to winScheldeprijs in early April.[29] Merlier started the2024 Giro d'Italia, his first Grand Tour since the2022 Vuelta a España, where he won a bunch sprint ahead ofJonathan Milan on Stage 3 intoFossano, propelling himself into themaglia ciclamino. Merlier won again on stages 18 and 21, finishing third overall in the points classification.[30] At the European Road Championships in September, Merlier won the elite men's road race, finishing ahead ofOlav Kooij and his Belgian teammateJasper Philipsen.[31] Merlier finished the season with 16 wins, second only toTadej Pogacar in the men's peloton.[32]
At the start of the 2025 season, Merlier won stages 1 and 3 of theAlUla Tour.[33] He then followed this up, with back to back stage wins in theUAE Tour, winning stages 5 and 6.[34]
Merlier's brother,Braam, also formerly competed as a professional cyclist.
On February 1, 2023, Merlier and his girlfriend Cameron Vandenbroucke had a son, Jules.[35]
National Junior Championships
UEC European ChampionshipsSource:[36]
Points classificationRoad race, National Championships Points classification
after Stages 2–4 & 8–9Road race, National Championships
Road race,UEC European Championships Points classification Points classification
Road race,UEC European Championships
Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen after Stage 3 Points classification
Points classification| Grand Tour | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Giro d'Italia | DNF | — | — | 138 |
 Tour de France | DNF | — | — | — |
| Vuelta a España | — | 132 | — | — |
| Monument | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milan–San Remo | Has not contested during his career | |||||||||
| Tour of Flanders | — | — | — | — | 43 | 65 | ||||
| Paris–Roubaix | — | NH | 48 | 40 | 23 | DNF | ||||
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège | Has not contested during his career | |||||||||
| Giro di Lombardia | ||||||||||
| Classic | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |||
| Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne | — | 25 | 38 | 12 | — | — | 15 | |||
| Brugge–De Panne | — | 3 | — | 1 | — | 2 | DNF | |||
| Gent–Wevelgem | — | 27 | 34 | 6 | 14 | 8 | 2 | |||
| Dwars door Vlaanderen | — | NH | 3 | — | DNF | — | ||||
| Scheldeprijs | — | 4 | 68 | 9 | — | 1 | ||||
| Brussels Cycling Classic | 33 | 1 | 7 | 23 | 61 | — | ||||
| Event | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 World Championships | Road race | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| European Championships | Road race | DNE | — | — | — | DNF | — | — | 3 | — | 1 |
| National Championships | Road race | DNF | DNF | 6 | 76 | 1 | 19 | 6 | 1 | 17 | 6 |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
Tim Merlier eindigde 9de, Gianni Vermeersch elfde. [Tim Merlier finished ninth, Gianni Vermeersch eleventh.]
Tim Merlier (Corendon-Circus) beat Timothy Dupont (Wanty-Gobert) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), who came second and third respectively in the men's race.
