Tim Merlier

Somewhat of a late developer, Tim Merlier has become one of the leading sprinters since his breakthrough season in 2020. The Belgian rider was part of the Alpecin-Fenix squad until 2022 with the rider winning stages at both the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia during the 2021 campaign.

A move to Patrick Lefevere’s Soudal Quick-Step squad followed at the start of 2023 with Merlier linking up with one of the best lead-out trains in the WorldTour. He took wins in the UAE Tour, Paris-Nice, Nokere Koerse and more. He did not race a single Grand Tour in 2023, with Lefevere's team focussing on Remco Evenepoel at both the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España, so starting a Grand Tour is likely to be high on Merlier's agenda for 2024.