Tim Merlier won a stage at last year's Tour de France and was part of a two-man strategy with Alpecin Phoenix star Mathieu Van der Poel. However, the Belgian will not play that role again, as the team has opted to continue with its plan to send Yasper Philipsen to the Tour along with Van der Poel.

"I'll be ready. Someone might drop out," Mellier said in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. I hope to be selected for the Vuelta. But I haven't heard from the team yet."

"I'm still waiting to hear from the team.

The 29-year-old Mellier has yet to confirm the news that he plans to sign with Quick Step Alfa Vinyl when the 2023 transfer window opens on August 1. The Belgian has had a strong start to the season with stage wins at Tirreno-Adriatico, Nokele-Coars, and Brugge-Des Pannes Classic.

However, a crash in Paris-Roubaix left Mellier with a deep elbow injury that required surgery and forced him to abandon his planned entry in the Giro d'Italia.

Merlier said that watching his teammates race on television was painful. "It was painful to watch my teammates race on TV," he said. But I immediately set a new goal. I'm happy with my team's three stage wins."

Van der Pol won the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia and took his first maglia rosa. Stefano Aldani and Dries De Bont also took their first Grand Tour stage wins.

"When it became clear that I was going to abandon, some of the riders were depressed, but they pulled through in style. It was a great atmosphere, thanks in part to Mathieu van der Pol."

Mellier said he still had to keep his elbow from festering and that Tenerife's dry weather was ideal for keeping dirt out of his nearly healed wound.

"I enjoy training on the climbs here, as long as I can pace myself. Athletes like Jasper Steiven, Dylan van Baarle, and Filippo Ganna were here, but I was training alone the whole time. One day Kenneth Vandendrice drove up. He had won the Ironman in Lanzarote last week and came here to rest. But he brought his bike and wanted to stay with me for a few hours."

This weekend before heading to the Tour of Slovenia, Merlier will resume his season with the Brussels Cycling Classic and the Ronde van Limburg. His main target is the Belgian Championships in Middelkerke on June 26. He won the title in 2019, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, his days of racing in front of his home fans in the national jersey were limited.

"I want to make up for that," he said.