Cycling: Tim Merlier wins the 18th stage of the Giro in a sprint

Belgian Tim Merlier won his second victory in the Tour of Italy this year by winning in the sprint on Thursday in Padua at the end of a peaceful day for Tadej Pogacar and the favorites.

It was the penultimate opportunity for the sprinters to shine in this 107th edition of the Giro before the last stage on Sunday in Rome.

In front of the Coliseum, Merlier (Soudal-Quick Step) will have the opportunity to equalize with the other strong man of the group finishes, the Italian Jonathan Milan, winner of three stages already but only second in Padua after a messy sprint.

The Lidl-Trek giant got stuck in the last turn and started his sprint too late after losing the wheel of his pilot fish who were turning around to look for him.

Milan too far

“My teammates put me in a perfect position but I was too far away and lost their wheel. It’s my fault,” he said.

Milan ended up finding the loophole to overcome their opponents one by one, including the Australian Kaden Groves, third. But too late to overtake a sprinter of Merlier’s caliber on the way to his 43rd professional victory, the 9th this season.

“Two wins here, nine this year, it’s a good season for me. We were still in a good place, the last kilometer was very fast and I knew how to wait for my moment,” reacted the 31-year-old Belgian, launched at the kilometer by his teammate Julian Alaphilippe, himself a stage winner there ago. one week.

Merlier: “We did our own thing”

It’s already a successful Giro for the Soudal-Quick Step team which, after a disappointing classics campaign, is chasing stages in Italy before focusing on Remco Evenepoel and the general classification for the Tour de France.

Merlier, in addition to praising the quality of his bike and his combination, was delighted to shut the mouths of the “haters” by winning two stages in the same Grand Tour for the first time.

“People ask me why I don’t take the Milan wheel, but I don’t like to focus on another sprinter. We did our own thing and we can congratulate ourselves on that,” added the Fleming.

The two Swiss competing on the Italian roads finished with the peloton: the Vaudois Robin Froidevaux (Tudor) 86th and the Zuricher Fabian Lienhard (Groupama-FDJ) 87th.

Quiet day for leaders

The riders in the general classification, like a very relaxed Pogacar, experienced a quiet day on Thursday behind a breakaway of four then five riders caught ten kilometers from the goal.

“A perfect day, with good legs, I am very happy with my day,” said the Slovenian.

This will change on Friday with a new mountain stage up to Sappada and especially on Saturday with the double ascent of Monte Grappa, the last opportunity to try to shake up the established order before the parade on Sunday in Rome.

If there is little suspense left for the final victory, since Pogacar has a huge lead of 7’42” over his runner-up, the Colombian Daniel Martinez, the race for the podium and for a place in the Top 10 remains hotly contested.

AFP

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