“Some teams had strange tactics" - Tim Merlier disappointed at lack of cohesion in chase on stage 5 at Giro d'Italia
Cycling
The sprinters were left fighting for scraps on stage 5 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia instead of battling for the win as Benjamin Thomas took victory from the breakaway, much to stage 3 winner, Tim Merlier's disappointment.
“Some teams had strange tactics," the Soudal - Quick-Step sprinter assesses ruefully of the day in his post-stage interview with his team's official social media pages. "You see what happens when you don't work well together. Then you have a breakaway that will stay in front."
After bunch sprints on the previous two stages, stage 5 had looked a cert to be something similar, especially given most of the climbing took place with over 100km still to go. On that early climb, though, Alpecin-Deceuninck set an infernal pace, dropping most sprinters and catching the early break. In the end, it was the counter-attack breakaway, led by Benjamin Thomas that stayed away until the end.
"It was a strong breakaway but I can't believe they stayed in front because it was pretty, pretty fast. But yeah, they made it so chapeau!" Merlier concludes. "Some teams had the tactic to drop other sprinters but they killed their own team I think. Not a day for the sprinters today, congrats to the breakaway."
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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Hear what @MerlierTim had to say about stage 5 of the #Giro and how things panned out on this final flat day of the week.
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