Merlier spares cyclo-cross world the drama: "I'm not just a typical road racer trying out cyclo-cross"

"Initially, I wanted to compete in the World Cup round in Besançon, but I abandoned that plan to maintain harmony in the cyclo-cross world," said Merlier. Since this season, Belgian cyclo-cross has had a new national coach, Angelo De Clercq, who is a close friend of Merlier. "De Clercq is one of my best mates, and I don’t want to be the reason he faces trouble for giving me one of his wildcards," said Merlier, who decided to spare his friend the potential backlash. "Apparently, some team managers were up in arms over the idea of me suddenly racing in a World Cup."

One such critic was former cyclo-cross racer Bart Wellens. "Come on," Wellens wrote in his column for Het Nieuwsblad, responding to Merlier's selection. "This is a World Cup we're talking about! You have to earn your selection. He’s taking the spot of a real cyclo-cross rider, and I think that’s a shame." "I read that, yes," Merlier said of Wellens' remarks. "He probably needed some inspiration to fill his column… (laughs) I understand that Belgium has an abundance of great cyclo-cross riders, that it's hard to justify claiming a spot in a World Cup race. But I'm not just a typical road racer trying out cyclo-cross. Anyway, to avoid escalating the situation, I withdrew my candidacy for Besançon."

Although Merlier primarily focuses on road racing now, he’s considering wrapping up his successful career as a cyclo-cross racer. "I’ve been toying with the idea of ending my professional career with a full cyclo-cross winter in the distant future. Ending my career where it started would bring things full circle. Cyclo-cross is still my first love."