Tim Merlier may then be able to count on more men to support him in Tour de France after all

The 32-year-old from Soudal Quick-Step has already taken ten wins this season, making him arguably the most in-form sprinter heading into stage one. Just last month, he added three more victories to his tally — two stages in the Baloise Belgium Tour and the Brussels Cycling Classic. Earlier this year, he claimed wins in the UAE Tour, Paris-Nice, and one-day classics like Scheldeprijs.

Saturday marks a reset, though, and Merlier is well aware of that. In his third season with Soudal Quick-Step, he finally gets a clear shot at Tour de France stage wins, following a highly successful 2023 Giro d’Italia in which he won three stages. Last year, the team went all-in on Remco Evenepoel — this time, it’s a shared approach.

“There was never any doubt,” team manager Tom Steels said about selecting both Merlier and Evenepoel. “As soon as the Tour route was announced, we knew we wanted to go with Tim and Remco. If you have one of the best sprinters and one of the best GC contenders, you have to find a balance.”

“Our top priority is keeping Remco safe in the final three to five kilometers. After that, we assess how technical the finish is and what we can still do for Tim,” Steels explained. That support will primarily come from Pascal Eenkhoorn and Mattia Cattaneo, while Evenepoel will understandably not be asked to contribute to lead-outs.

“The call lies with me, Klaas Lodewyck, and Davide Bramati, and we’ll take full responsibility. Tim and Bert Van Lerberghe can also help later in the race, so they’re not just here for the flat stages,” Steels emphasized.

As for Merlier, he’s keeping a level head. “The first day is important — there's a real chance to take yellow. But if it doesn’t happen, it’s not the end of the world. We’ll try again on the next opportunity,” he said calmly at sponsor Renson’s HQ.

While teams like Lidl-Trek and Alpecin-Deceuninck arrive with full sprint trains for Jonathan Milan and Jasper Philipsen, Merlier isn’t intimidated. “There are a lot of strong sprinters here, but we have confidence and motivation on our side,” the Belgian explained, with 36-year-old Van Lerberghe set to be his final lead-out man.

“Last year I won the European Championships with just Bert, so I’m not worried. We have two clear goals in this Tour, and they’re not that difficult to combine,” Merlier concluded — knowing full well that he’ll also need to lend a hand to Remco Evenepoel from time to time.