‘Fear of failure’: Merlier opens up ahead of long-awaited comeback

The former Belgian and European Champion sustained a knee injury that put his 2026 campaign on hold after he was slated to begin racing in Saudi Arabia at the AlUla Tour in January. 

Merlier last pinned a number on in mid-October last year at the NIBC Tour of Holland, where he sprinted to victory on stage 1. 

After a long road to recovery following his knee injury, the Belgian is set to kick off his campaign at the GP Jean-Pierre Monseré on March 22, a race he won in his only previous appearance back in 2021. 

In an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, Merlier admitted to experiencing an element of a fear of failing ahead of his long-awaited return to racing.

“With a nervous heart. I lie awake at night wondering if I’ll be able to keep up,” Merlier told Het Laatste Nieuws. “There is even a bit of fear of failure involved. I am struggling with a fitness deficit.”

Merlier detailed the main problem with his knees, but admitted that a cause still hadn’t been identified conclusively. 

“Just pain. But real pain, mind you. I was sometimes asked if I couldn't just train and grit my teeth through the pain, but when that pain was there, I could only pedal on one leg,” explained Merlier. 

“No. After Boonen & Friends [Cyclocross race], I started having trouble with my left knee. Did I overload that knee? Was I not ready to race cyclocross yet? I haven't the faintest idea,” said Merlier when asked if the cause was known. 

An ambition of the Belgian’s, which unfortunately comes too soon, is In Flanders Fields - from Middelkerke to Wevelgem (Gent Wevelgem), the Sprinters’ Classic. 

Merlier was the quickest in the final sprint from the bunch, but they were only racing for second place, as Mads Pedersen was out front, soloing 56km to a record-equalling third victory at the race. Merlier has also ruled out Paris-Roubaix, a race he has ridden for the past five years. 

“With this base, surely you can't expect me to ride a 250 km race? Of course, that is somewhere in the back of my mind, but I have to be realistic: that’s not going to happen,” said Merlier.  “[Gent] Wevelgem and [Paris] Roubaix are out of the question. I also don't want to jeopardise the rest of my season.”

Outlining his roadmap for his return to racing, Merlier confirmed that the main goals are the Belgian National Championships and the Tour de France, after a successful 2025 edition where he won two sprint stages. 

“The most important thing will be to make it to the Belgian Championships and the Tour. If all goes well, I will also ride the Tour of Hungary and the Tour of Belgium beforehand to hopefully be in top form by the end of June," said Merlier.

Linking back to the fear of failure, Merlier highlighted former teammate Remco Evenepoel’s delayed road to the 2025 Tour, which he described as leading to a lack of a “solid foundation.” 

Evenepoel’s season was delayed due to injury, and the Belgian cracked in the Pyrenees during the second week of the Tour, with Merlier acknowledging that he has a stern challenge ahead to be fit and firing come July.

“Yes. When I heard from Remco last year that he had to give up in the Tour because he lacked a solid foundation, it really scared me. I have less talent than Remco, and he started out around the same time back then, with a better foundation than I have now," said Merlier. 

Merlier is slated to begin his season with the GP Jean-Pierre Monseré on March 22, followed by the Ronde Van Brugge on March 25 and Scheldeprijs on April 8, all three races he has won previously.