Soudal-QuickStep fastman Tim Merlier has rarely had to fight Tadej Pogačar for a bunch sprint victory, but stage 3 of the 2024 Giro d’Italia was witness to just that - an extraordinary battle between the peloton and the race leader, which finally saw the Belgian claim the win.
After Pogačar was reeled in just metres before the line in Fossano, Merlier outpaced Jonathan Milan (Bahrain Victorious) to claim his eighth victory of the season and his first since Scheldeprijs this April. It was also his second triumph in the Giro d’Italia following a stage 2 win in 2021.
Merlier dedicated his victory to the late Wouter Weylandt, forming his hands in a ‘W’ to commemorate the Belgian racer who died in a crash on a descent in the 2011 Giro d’Italia.
"I have not forgotten him because I was a fan of his,” Merlier told Sporza. “ I remember when he died, I was watching the Giro broadcast with a friend. It was a huge blow."
As for taking on Pogačar in the finale of stage 3, Weylandt admitted that it had been no easy task, saying the Slovenian had come very close to wrecking the peloton’s plans for a bunch sprint, the first of the 2024 Giro.
“He seriously upset things. Not many teams managed to get reorganised quickly enough after he attacked,” he added.
With Pogačar already on the rampage, a short but very steady kilometre-long climb in the finale subsequently made things even more difficult for the sprinters.
“It was very hard. I couldn’t get on the right wheel in the last part of the sprint,” Merlier said. “I was finding it tough to breathe, and I was always in the wind.”
Finally, though, Pogačar and Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) were reeled in, and the Belgian star could concentrate on his sprint.
“With 300 metres to go, just when I was starting to go for it myself, I saw Milan start his sprint on the left, and I knew I was going to finish first or second,” he explained.
Although this is Merlier’s third Grand Tour stage win, the Belgian described it as his hardest yet, with his team proving instrumental in keeping him on track. He added that he was not yet looking at targetting the points jersey, with at least two more victories needed to make that a realistic possibility.
In the meantime, though, Merlier has had the chance to dedicate a Giro win to Weylandt, and help keep the memory of the late rider present in the current peloton in the best possible way.
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