An artificial mountain to help Pogacar to the 2028 world title? - Tim Merlier fears what it could mean for sprinters

Merlier refuses to call himself the world’s best sprinter. “I would never say that about myself,” he says. “Even if people call you the fastest, the counters always reset in January. You have to prove yourself again. And the same applies after every spring campaign and again in the Tour.” Modesty is part of his nature, and he guards his words carefully. “I weigh my words. I rarely show everything I think.”

That restraint becomes more revealing when the Tour de France appears in the conversation. 

The route of the 2026 Tour offers possibilities but also uncertainty. “Mmm. Six sprint chances on paper. But I want to see if it will really be that many. Just like this year, a very hard edition is waiting for us. Especially that final week. And that second-to-last stage. Is all of that really necessary?"

He continues. “There is a push for fewer sprints in Grand Tours and more spectacle. But climbers and GC riders also get exhausted and need recovery in that final phase. It doesn’t have to be harder to be beautiful. But who am I? I’m not going to change the race.”

His words mirror the concern raised by Marcel Kittel when he joined the Domestique Hotseat this week. “The trend is going to more diverse sprinters. The new generation of pure sprinters has to be able to climb better than my generation.”

Kittel’s observation adds context to what Merlier feels on the road. If the sport keeps shifting toward versatile sprinters who can survive harder terrain, the room for riders with his profile narrows.

“In boxing, lightweights never face heavyweights. In cycling, in a Grand Tour, they do. It makes the sport beautiful, but in a way also illogical. Are we really moving towards routes where only riders up to seventy kilos have a future, and pure sprinters disappear? That would be a shame.”

His voice softens before he adds the part that stays with him. “Every generation of sprinters should get at least one real chance at a world title. I fear that chance will never come for me.”

The 2028 World Championships in Abu Dhabi make that worry even more concrete. What was first assumed to be a flat worlds could turn into the opposite. “They are working on it,” he says, referring to the artificial mountain being built next to the circuit, which he sees growing every year in the UAE Tour. 

The more that climb rises, the more it could play into the hands of riders like Pogačar and the further it drifts from what sprinters hope a worlds could be, even though no details about the course have been released yet.

Looking ahead to 2026, Merlier stresses that there will be no radical changes to his calendar. “The Tour is not a certainty for me in 2026,” he said, “but the main lines of my programme will not differ much from this year.” 

With Evenepoel gone, he sees a clearer sprint structure forming and is encouraged by the new arrivals in the team. “On leadout and sprint, several serious reinforcements are coming in,” he explained. 

“Alberto Dainese, for example, I certainly do not consider a bad choice as an alternative for Paul and me. Hopefully, he will fully open up with us and be an added value.” He also praised the depth that the others bring. “Jasper Stuyven, to name just one. Usable everywhere: in classics, in a sprint train, in a breakaway in Grand Tours, even in service of climbers. We need guys like that.” 

The staff changes give him confidence as well. “Declercq is joining as coach, Terpstra and Vanmarcke as directors. Great additions. Niki knows the history and philosophy of the team. With Sep I have a very good relationship. We still ride together sometimes. He has a lot of material knowledge and dares to give his opinion. That is super important.”