Merlier is heading to the Tour 'with a heavy heart' thanks to Pogačar
Tim Merlier got an all-important pre-Tour de France stage win on day two of the Baloise Belgium Tour, but it's not all sunshine and daisies for Soudal-Quick Step's three-time Tour stage winner who's been keeping half an eye on the Tour de Suisse, where Tadej Pogačar already crushed the competition on the very first day.
"When you see how impressively they are riding around in Switzerland again… On Wednesday, he attacked 'on a whim'," Merlier told HLN. “Things are going well for me, but at my level, that is. Because I am heading to the Tour de France with a heavy heart.
"I have already ridden the Tour, the Giro, and the Vuelta, and it was a struggle in every Grand Tour. But the way it happened in the Tour last year? Terrible. So yes, there is a serious difference in level compared to the other GC contenders, isn't there? And certainly with a sprinter like me, who will also have to survive the mountains in the tough opening phase if I'm to capitalise on the few sprint opportunities that come along.”
The first sprint stage of the upcoming Tour de France is not likely until day 5 into Pau, after an opening phase that includes a team time trial and a couple of lumpy stages in and around Barcelona. It's a Tour with relatively few stages that look set to be straightforward for the fast men and their teams.
