Tim Merlier (born 30 October 1992) is a Belgian cyclist who rides for

UCI WorldTeam A UCI WorldTeam (2015–present), previously UCI ProTeam (2005–2014), is the term used by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to name a cycling team of the highest category in professional road bicycle racing, road cycling, the UCI World Tou ...

. Considered to be one of the fastest sprinters in the world, Merlier has over 50 wins as a professional, including one stage win at the

2021 Tour de France The 2021 Tour de France was the 108th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's three Grand Tour (cycling), grand tours. Originally planned for the Denmark, Danish capital of Copenhagen, the start of the 2021 Tour (known as the ) was trans ...

and four at the

Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...

(2021 and 2024). Merlier won the 2024 European Road Race Championship, and is a two-time winner of the

Belgian National Road Race Championships The Belgian National Road Race Championship is a cycling race which decides who will become Belgian national champion for the year to come. The men's record for most wins is currently held by one of the most successful Belgian sprinters, Tom Stee ...

, winning in 2019 and 2022. Merlier also competes in cyclo-cross, having previously raced at the

2016 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships The 2016 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships was the World Championship for cyclo-cross for the season 2015–16. It was held in Heusden-Zolder in Belgium on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31 January 2016. The championships featured five events, in addi ...

in Heusden-Zolder.

Career

Early years

Initially a

cyclo-cross Cyclo-cross (cyclocross, CX, cyclo-X or cross) is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter (the international or "World Cup" season is October–February), and consist of many laps of a short (2.5–3.5&nb ...

specialist, Merlier turned professional with in 2011, after having been a national junior champion two seasons prior. With the team, he saw modest success on the under-23 level, winning a round of the 2012–13 Under-23 Bpost Bank Trophy, in addition to several podiums in high level races.

Road beginnings (2015–2018)

In 2015, he joined , where he had his first notable result in a road race, placing third in

Schaal Sels Schaal Sels is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Merksem, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a UCI race classifications, 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. Winners Men ...

. The following year, he took his first pro road win at the

Grote Prijs Stad Zottegem Egmont Cycling Race is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in August in Zottegem, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race started out as 'Dokter Tistaertprijs' in 1934. Between 1971 ...

. Following this win, he transferred to

UCI Professional Continental The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to expand cycling around the world. The five circuits (representing the continents of Africa, the ...

team for the 2017 season. In his second season with the team, he took two stage victories and the points classification at the

Danmark Rundt Danmark Rundt is a Danish multi-day professional road cycling race. It is currently sponsored by the Danish national postal agency, PostNord, and the race is therefore also known as PostNord Danmark Rundt. The race is sometimes called the Tou ...

Corendon–Circus (2019–2022)

From this point on, his road career started to take off, joining in 2019. This year marked his most notable win yet: the Belgian national road race championship, in addition to another stage of the

as well as the one-day Elfstedenronde. In 2020, he again had three wins, including his first

UCI ProSeries The UCI ProSeries is the second tier men's elite road bicycle racer, road cycling tour. It was inaugurated in 2020 UCI ProSeries, 2020. The series is placed below the UCI World Tour, but above the various regional UCI Continental Circuits. Devel ...

event: the

Brussels Cycling Classic The Brussels Cycling Classic (known until June 2013 as Paris–Brussels) is a classic cycle races, semi classic European Road bicycle racing, bicycle race, one of the oldest races on the international calendar. History Paris–Brussels was first ...

, and his first win at the

UCI WorldTour The UCI WorldTour is the premier men's elite road cycling tour, sitting above the UCI ProSeries and various regional UCI Continental Circuits. It refers to both the tour of 38 events and, until 2019, an annual ranking system based upon performa ...

level, winning stage six of

Tirreno–Adriatico Tirreno–Adriatico, nicknamed the "Race of the Two Seas", is an elite road bicycle racing, road cycling stage race in Italy, run between the Tyrrhenian Sea, Tyrrhenian and Adriatic Sea, Adriatic coasts. Traditionally held in the early part of th ...

, both in sprint finishes. In 2021, Merlier took several victories in Belgian semi-classics, including the Bredene Koksijde Classic,

Le Samyn Le Samyn is an annual single-day road bicycle race in Belgium, held usually in late February or early March. The event was created in 1968 as ''Grand Prix de Fayt-le-Franc'', named after the former municipality where it started and finished. In ...

, Grote Prijs Jean-Pierre Monseré, Ronde van Limburg and a second win of the Elfstedenronde. He also placed third in the

Dwars door Vlaanderen ''Dwars door Vlaanderen'' ('Across Flanders') is a semi-classic road bicycle race in Belgium, held annually since 1945. The race starts in Roeselare and finishes in Waregem, both in West Flanders. Since 2017 the event is included in the UCI Wor ...

. In May, he entered his first Grand Tour: the

, where he won the second stage in a sprint ahead of

Giacomo Nizzolo Giacomo Nizzolo (born 30 January 1989) is an Italian racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Career Leopard Trek (2011–18) Nizzolo took his first win at UCI World Tour level in August 2012, on stage 5 of the Eneco Tour. He launc ...

and

Elia Viviani Elia Viviani (born 7 February 1989) is an Italian professional Cycle sport, cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProSeries, UCI ProTeam . On 10 May 2015, Viviani won his first Grand Tour stage victory at the 2015 Giro d'Italia, Giro d'Italia, win ...

. 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 the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

, outsprinting

Jasper Philipsen Jasper Philipsen (born 2 March 1998) is a Belgian professional cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTour, UCI WorldTeam . Specialising as a Sprinter (cycling), sprinter, he has won nine stages in the Tour de France and three in the Vuelta a Es ...

and

Nacer Bouhanni Nacer Bouhanni (born 25 July 1990) is a French former professional racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2011 to 2023. A sprinter, he was the winner of the 2012 French National Road Race Championships. Although his first Grand To ...

. Merlier had a strong start to 2022, winning the second stage of

in March, followed by the

Nokere Koerse Nokere Koerse is a European semi classic single day cycle race held in the Belgian region of Flanders. The Nokere Koerse was created in 1944, initially as the ''Grand Prix Jules Lowie'' in honour of 1938 Paris–Nice winner Jules Lowie who ...

and Classic Brugge–De Panne later that month. In June, he was crowned that National Champion for a second time in a photo finish with

Jordi Meeus Jordi Meeus (born 1 July 1998 in Lommel) is a Belgian cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . A sprinter, his most noteworthy victory was the last stage of the 2023 Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées stage in the Tour de France, Cham ...

. In August he won the bronze medal in the European Road Race Championships, and competed in his first

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; ) is an annual stage race, multi-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Ital ...

. He ended the year with a win at the

Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen (previously GP Rik Van Steenbergen) is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Arendonk, Belgium. The race, paying respect to the famous Belgian rider of the 1940s and 1950s, quickly gained impor ...

in October.

Soudal–Quick-Step (2023–)

In August 2022, Merlier signed a three-year contract with

. Early into his first year with the team, he took several wins in the Middle East, including a stage of the Tour of Oman and two stages and the points classification of the

UAE Tour The UAE Tour () are road cycling stage races in the United Arab Emirates. A men's event was first held in 2019 as part of the UCI World Tour. It was created as a result of the merging of the Abu Dhabi Tour and the Dubai Tour. A women's event was ...

. He maintained this momentum going into March with a stage win of

Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional road bicycle racing, cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the ...

, and defending his title at

ten days later. In August, he won two stages of the

Tour de Pologne The Tour de Pologne (; ), officially abbreviated TdP, is an annual, professional men's Race stage, multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race primarily held in Poland. It consists of seven or eight stages and is usually around 1,200 km ...

, followed by the

Grand Prix de Fourmies The Grand Prix de Fourmies is a bicycle race held in the Fourmies commune of France. From 2005 to 2019 it was organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 2021, it joined the UCI ProSeries The UCI ProSeries is the second tier men's ...

a month later. 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 the AlUla Tour and three stages and the points classification of the

. He placed second to

on stage two of

, but beat him at the

, taking the race for a third consecutive year. He again was outsprinted by Philipsen a week later at the Classic Brugge–De Panne but rallied to win

Scheldeprijs The Scheldeprijs is a road bicycle racing, cycling race in Flanders and the Netherlands which starts in Terneuzen, crosses the Scheldt River, and finishes in Schoten. Until 2018 it was held entirely in Belgium. The event, ranked as a UCI race cla ...

in early April. Merlier started the 2024 Giro d'Italia, his first Grand Tour since the

2022 Vuelta a España The 2022 Vuelta a España was a three-week cycling race which took place in the Netherlands and Spain between 19 August and 11 September 2022. It was the 77th edition of the Vuelta a España and the third and final grand tour of the 2022 men's ...

, where he won a bunch sprint ahead of

Jonathan Milan Jonathan Milan (born 1 October 2000) is an Italian professional track and road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Track Milan rode in the men's team pursuit event at the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Berli ...

on Stage 3 into

Fossano Fossano () is a town and ''comune'' of Piedmont, Northern Italy. It is the fourth largest town of the province of Cuneo, after Cuneo, Alba and Bra. It lies on the main railway line from Turin to Cuneo and to Savona, and has a branch line to Mon ...

, propelling himself into the maglia ciclamino. Merlier won again on stages 18 and 21, finishing third overall in the points classification. At the European Road Championships in September, Merlier won the elite men's road race, finishing ahead of Olav Kooij and his Belgian teammate

. Merlier finished the season with 16 wins, second only to Tadej Pogacar in the men's peloton. At the start of the 2025 season, Merlier won stages 1 and 3 of the AlUla Tour. He then followed this up, with back to back stage wins in the

, winning stages 5 and 6.

Personal life

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.

Major results

Cyclo-cross

;2009–2010 : 1st National Junior Championships : 1st Junior Bredene : Junior Superprestige ::1st

Vorselaar Vorselaar () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the town of Vorselaar proper. In 2021, Vorselaar had a total population of 7,995. The total area is 27.62 km2. Famous inhabitants * ...

;2011–2012 : Under-23 UCI World Cup ::2nd

Heusden-Zolder Heusden-Zolder (; ) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian Limburg (Belgium), province of Limburg near Hasselt. On 1 January 2006 Heusden-Zolder had a total population of 30,769. The total area is 53.23 ...

: Under-23 Superprestige ::2nd

Hoogstraten Hoogstraten () is a municipality and city located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises Hoogstraten, Meer, Meerle, Meersel-Dreef, Minderhout and Wortel (Meersel-Dreef includes the northernmost point in Belgium). Ho ...

;2012–2013 : 1st Contern : Under-23 Bpost Bank Trophy ::1st

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

: Under-23 Superprestige ::3rd

Hamme Hamme () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the settlements of Hamme proper, Kastel Moerzeke, and . In 2018, Hamme had a total population of 24,827. ...

;2013–2014 : 2nd Under-23 Kalmthout : Under-23 Bpost Bank Trophy ::3rd Loenhout ;2014–2015 : 1st Illnau : 1st Rhein-Neckar : 3rd

Zonnebeke Zonnebeke (; ) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of , , Passendale, Zandvoorde (Zonnebeke), Zandvoorde and Zonnebek ...

: 3rd

Bredene Bredene (; ) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality only comprises the town of Bredene proper. On 1 January 2006, Bredene had a total population of 15,118. The total area is 13.08 km2 which gives ...

;2015–2016 : DVV Trophy ::2nd Loenhout : Superprestige ::3rd Gieten ;2016–2017 :

Brico Cross The Exact Cross is a season-long cyclo-cross competition, formerly known as the Ethias Cross and the Brico Cross, consisting of 8 rounds throughout the season in Belgium and the Netherlands. It is one of five season-long competitions, alongside t ...

::3rd

Maldegem Maldegem (), earlier spelled Maldeghem, is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Maldegem, Adegem and Middelburg. and have always been separate hamlets of Maldegem. On 1 Jan ...

;2017–2018 : Superprestige ::2nd

Middelkerke Middelkerke () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders, on the North Sea, west of Ostend. The municipality comprises the villages of Leffinge, Lombardsijde, Mannekensvere, Middelkerke proper, Schore, Sint-Pieters-K ...

: DVV Trophy ::2nd

::3rd

;2019–2020 : DVV Trophy ::2nd

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; or ''Kortrik''; ), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of We ...

::3rd

Ethias Cross The Exact Cross is a season-long cyclo-cross competition, formerly known as the Ethias Cross and the Brico Cross, consisting of 8 rounds throughout the season in Belgium and the Netherlands. It is one of five season-long competitions, alongside t ...

::2nd

: 2nd

Wachtebeke Wachtebeke () is a village in the Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Lochristi located in the Belgium, Belgian province of East Flanders. It includes the main village of Wachtebeke and the border village of Overslag, Belgium, Overslag. In ...

: 2nd

Otegem Zwevegem () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Heestert, Moen, Belgium, Moen, Otegem, Sint-Denijs and Zwevegem. On January 1, 2019, Zweveg ...

;2021–2022 :

Coupe de France The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...

::3rd Troyes II ;2022–2023 :

Exact Cross The Exact Cross is a season-long cyclo-cross competition, formerly known as the Ethias Cross and the Brico Cross, consisting of 8 rounds throughout the season in Belgium and the Netherlands. It is one of five season-long competitions, alongside t ...

::1st

: 2nd Saint Sauveur de Landemont ;2023–2024 :

::3rd

Gravel

;2023 : 2nd Silver medal europe

UEC European Championships : 2nd National Championships ;2024 : UCI World Series ::1st Blaavands Huk

Road

Source: ;2015 : 3rd

: 5th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad U23 ;2016 (1 pro win) : 1st

: 5th Ronde van Limburg : 9th

Halle–Ingooigem Halle–Ingooigem is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in June in West Flanders, Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Cou ...

: 9th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad U23 ;2017 : 3rd

: 7th Dwars door het Hageland ;2018 (2) :

::1st Points classification ::1st Stages 3 & 5 : 3rd Ronde van Limburg : 5th

Grote Prijs Marcel Kint The Van Merksteijn Fences Classic, known as the Grote Prijs Marcel Kint until 2023, is a cycling race held annually in Belgium (Zwevegem & Kortrijk). It is part of UCI Europe Tour in category 1.1. Jef Planckaert Joseph "Jef" Planckaert (4 ...

;2019 (3) : 1st Road race, National Championships : 1st Elfstedenronde :

Tour Alsace The Tour Alsace (or Tour d'Alsace) is a five-day road bicycle race held annually in Alsace, France. It was first held in 2004 and it is a 2.2 rated event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing co ...

::1st Points classification ::1st Prologue ( TTT), Stages 1 & 4 : 1st Stage 5

: 2nd

Antwerp Port Epic Antwerp Port Epic is a cycling race held annually in Belgium. It was created in 2018 and is part of UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste ...

: 3rd

Münsterland Giro The Münsterland Giro is a cycling race annually held in Münsterland, Germany. It was first held in 2006 as a 1.2 race of the UCI Europe Tour, becoming a UCI race classifications, 1.1 race in 2007 and a 1.HC race in 2015. The race became part of ...

: 5th

: 6th Dwars door het Hageland : 6th Omloop Mandel-Leie-Schelde : 7th

Paris–Chauny Paris–Chauny is a one-day cycling race held in France. It was first held in 1922 and has been part of the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union C ...

;2020 (3) : 1st

: 1st Stage 6

: 1st Stage 4

Tour of Antalya The Tour of Antalya is a multi-day road cycling race held annually in Turkey. It is part of UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste Intern ...

: 3rd Three Days of Bruges–De Panne : 4th

: 5th Dwars door het Hageland ;2021 (9) : 1st Bredene Koksijde Classic : 1st

: 1st Grote Prijs Jean-Pierre Monseré : 1st Ronde van Limburg : 1st Elfstedenronde : 1st Stage 3

::1st Stage 2 ::Held after Stages 2–4 & 8–9 :

Benelux Tour The Benelux Tour (previously known as the Eneco Tour and the BinckBank Tour) is a road bicycle racing stage-race that is part of the UCI World Tour. The race was established in 2005 and was originally known as the Eneco Tour, named after the ori ...

::1st Stages 1 & 4 : 2nd

: 2nd

Grand Prix d'Isbergues Grand Prix d'Isbergues is a professional cycle road race held in Isbergues, Pas-de-Calais The Pas-de-Calais (, ' strait of Calais'; ; ) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which ...

: 3rd

: 7th

Grote Prijs Jef Scherens Tour of Leuven - Memorial Jef Scherens (until 2021 ''Grote Prijs Jef Scherens'') is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Leuven, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race is ...

: 7th

: 9th Dwars door het Hageland ;2022 (5) : 1st Road race, National Championships : 1st Classic Brugge–De Panne : 1st

: 1st

: 1st Stage 2

: 3rd

Road race, UEC European Championships : 3rd Bredene Koksijde Classic : 3rd Elfstedenronde : 6th

Gent–Wevelgem Gent–Wevelgem, officially Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields, is a road bicycle racing, road cycling race in Belgium, held annually since 1934. It is one of the classic cycle races, classic races part of the Flemish Cycling Week, run in late ...

: 6th

Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen (Championship of Flanders) or Koolskamp Koerse is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Koolskamp (part-municipality of Ardooie), West Flanders, Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom ...

: 7th Famenne Ardenne Classic : 9th

: 10th Ronde van Limburg ;2023 (11) : 1st

: 1st

::1st Points classification ::1st Stages 1, 2 ( TTT) & 6 :

Okolo Slovenska Okolo Slovenska (; ) is an annual road cycling stage race in Slovakia. Founded in 1954, since 2017 it has been rated as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. It is a stage race that usually includes five or more stages. History Okolo Slovenska ...

::1st Points classification ::1st Stages 2 & 4 :

::1st Stages 1 & 7 : 1st Stage 1

: 1st Stage 1 Tour of Oman : 1st Stage 6

Four Days of Dunkirk The Four Days of Dunkirk () is road bicycle race around the Nord-Pas de Calais region of northern France. Despite the name of the race, since the addition of an individual time trial in 1963, the race has been held over a 5 or 6 day period for ...

: 2nd

Gullegem Koerse The Gullegem Koerse is a single-day Road bicycle racing, road cycling race held annually in Wevelgem, Belgium over a course consisting of eight 20-kilometer laps. The race was first organized in 1942 and is one of the most important criterium race ...

: 4th Ronde van Limburg : 8th Omloop van het Houtland ;2024 (16) : 1st Road race, UEC European Championships : 1st Jersey yellow flanders

: 1st

Gooikse Pijl The Gooikse pijl is a European bicycle race held in and around Gooik, Belgium. Since 2012, the race has been organised as a 1.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which wer ...

::1st Stages 3, 18 & 21 ::Held after Stage 3 :

::1st Points classification ::1st Stages 1, 4 & 6 : AlUla Tour ::1st Points classification ::1st Stages 3 & 4 :

Tour of Belgium The Tour of Belgium (; ) is a five-day bicycle race which is held annually in Belgium, and is part of the UCI ProSeries. It was held annually between 1908 and 1981, except during both world wars. Between 1982 and 1990 several races were not org ...

::1st Stages 2 & 5 : 1st Stage 5

: 2nd Classic Brugge–De Panne : 8th

;2025 (10) : 1st

: 1st Brussels Cycling Classis :

::1st Stages 1 & 2 :

::1st Stages 5 & 6 : AlUla Tour ::1st Stages 1 & 3 :

::1st Stages 1 & 5 : 2nd

: 3rd

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Classics results timeline

Major championships timeline

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Merlier, Tim 1992 births Living people Cyclists from Kortrijk Belgian cyclo-cross cyclists Belgian male cyclists Belgian Tour de France stage winners Belgian Giro d'Italia stage winners 21st-century Belgian sportsmen