"It was the hardest victory so far!" - Tim Merlier seals third Grand Tour stage win of his career in frantic finale to stage 3
CyclingMonday, 06 May 2024 at 17:45
For the third time in his career, Soudal - Quick-Step's Tim Merlier sprinted to a Grand Tour stage win on stage 3 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia, surviving a late scare and a frantic finale in the process.
"It was the hardest victory so far!" admitted the 31-year-old Belgian, who's previously won stages at the 2021 Giro d'Italia and the 2021 Tour de France, in his post-stage interview. "It was a really hard final, in the last kilometre I never found a good slipstream, so I was always in the wind."
After missing out on selection for Soudal - Quick-Step at each of the three Grand Tour last year, Merlier will feel vindicated by this latest triumph, one that tastes even sweeter given the immense level of sprint competition at the 2024 Giro d'Italia.
"In the last 300m I heard ‘you need to go’, also Milan was starting his sprint on the left side, I knew I was gonna be first or second," Merlier concludes, having edged out last year's Maglia Ciclamino and Biniam Girmay in the finale. "I’m happy to win this one."
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- it will be interesting to see his results when he steps into the bigger races. 19 wins, but so many in the fall in mid level races. still the mid races need to be won to step up to the biggies.mij09-01-2026
- Looks like his poor health just stomped on the rear mech of his cycling career.Onepiece09-01-2026
- she is so good. even her results from 2025, which were “bad”, would be a career year for most riders. and consider at MSR, for example, her teammate won - perhaps Lotte could have won it. wishing her the best for 2026!mij09-01-2026
- bummer - he was fun to watch and was young. had a lot left in him.mij09-01-2026
- What a fairytale day! Everything fell into place.mhfrvz09-01-2026
- Not sure you can say that someone as talented and successful as him has had bad luck, but between coming along right after the two titans and now this, his is a career cut short. Perhaps he can transition to a different role in the sport, but in any case I wish him well.MidnightRider08-01-2026
- I doubt it. This blows a hole in their ranks.mobk08-01-2026
- For a while there, Eli was the best of the rest in cyclocross behind Mathieu and Wout. It must be tough to be forced to retire early due to medical issues, but good health trumps everything else. I wish him the best in his future endeavors.
santiagobenites08-01-2026 - however you frame it, it seems that they asked more from Ayuso (who obviously did not deliver the needed support) than they are asking from del Torro ... who - according to this quote - just needs to show up and can then ride however he likes.Ketterechts08-01-2026
- I agree that Ayuso was wrong in doing what he did at the tour, but we don't know everything behind the feud unless they all say honestly what went wrong. If he us such a rat and traitor, which it's a bit harsh, then what is to be said about Soler when he was with Movistar and didn't want to ride for Mas? I was disappointed, yes, but realize riders also have goals, and right now, UAE is all about their golden boy.Colnago-fan08-01-2026
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🚴🇮🇹 | Dankzij Pogacar wordt het een knotsgekke finale, maar we krijgen toch 'gewoon' een massasprint. Merlier klopt Milan en zegeviert! 🙌🇧🇪 #Giroditalia 📺 Koers kijk je op discovery+
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