"He is the best sprinter in the world” - Bert van Lerberghe full of praise for Giro stage winner Tim Merlier

In the first bunch sprint of the 2024 Giro d'Italia, it was Soudal - Quick-Step's Tim Merlier who powered to victory on stage 3. According to Merlier's teammate, Bert van Lerberghe, the Belgian must now be considered the best sprinter in the world. 

“It wasn't easy with that hill at the end, but we did it anyway. At 600 meters we didn't really know what to do," reflects the 31-year-old Belgian, who is a key cog in the Soudal - Quick-Step leadout in his post-stage interview, with quotes collected by HLN. "If I start and there is a good sprinter in Tim's wheel, he loses. Luckily he finishes it anyway.”

With around 3km to go, the sprinters and their trains were thrown into chaos by the attacks of Tadej Pogacar and Geraint Thomas. The superstar duo looked good for the stage win at one point before finally being reeled in with just a few hundred to go.

“I was quite far back and I thought: 'Shit, the one in pink is riding away,'" van Lerberghe reflects of the incident that caused pure chaos in the bunch. "Everyone was at the limit there. But it gives us a lot of confidence now that we have won, even though we already had that with Tim. He is simply the best sprinter in the world.”