"He is the best sprinter in the world” - Bert van Lerberghe full of praise for Giro stage winner Tim Merlier
Cycling
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.”
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Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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