Tim Merlier heads into 2026 in excellent form, but the Soudal\u2013Quick-Step sprinter admits he\u2019s watching one development with growing unease. Namely, the artificial climb being constructed beside the Abu Dhabi circuit that will host the 2028 UCI road world championships.<\/p>\n
What was once expected to be a flat sprinters\u2019 worlds could tilt heavily toward climbers\u2014and even favour riders like Tadej Poga\u010dar.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are working on it,\u201d Merlier said to Domestique<\/a>, saying that he has seen the hill rise each year during the UAE Tour. The more it grows, the more he fears the race could slip out of reach for fast men. \u201cEvery generation of sprinters should get at least one real chance at a world title. I fear that chance will never come for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Fewer chances for pure sprinters<\/p>\n His concern isn\u2019t limited to 2028. As Grand Tours shift toward harder profiles and fewer flat finishes, Merlier sees a broader trend taking hold. \u201cThere is a push for fewer sprints in Grand Tours and more spectacle,\u201d he said. Even with six theoretical sprint days in the 2026 Tour de France, he\u2019s not convinced they will survive the final route design. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be harder to be beautiful. But who am I? I\u2019m not going to change the race.\u201d<\/p>\n Former Italian pro slams De Vlaeminck\u2019s \u2018absurd\u2019 attack on Poga\u010dar<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Former pro Marcel Kittel voiced a similar warning on the Domestique Hotseat<\/a>, arguing that the new era demands sprinters who can ride like climbers. \u201cThe trend is going to more diverse sprinters,\u201d Kittel. \u201cThe new generation of pure sprinters has to be able to climb better than my generation.\u201d<\/p>\n Kittel on cycling nowadays<\/p>\n Kittel, who is returning to the pro peloton as a sprint coach for Unibet Rose Rockets also said that some of the old problems in cycling may still be there\u2013hopefully only in rare cases.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think cycling is clean now. Absolutely not. There will always be people who will try to cheat the system,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to make sure we protect what we have and the progress we\u2019ve made, and make sure these are isolated cases and not a widespread doping system.\u201d<\/p>\n As a sprinter in a sport that increasingly favours climbers and puncheurs, Merlier feels the pressure directly.<\/p>\n