Cunning Pogacar almost spoils the sprinters’ party, but Tim Merlier still triumphs after a spectacular finish

Tim Merlier grabbed the first sprinter’s opportunity with both hands. The former Belgian champion was the fastest in a bunch sprint. On a nasty slope in the final, Tadej Pogacar put his trump cards on the table, but the Slovenian was overtaken in the final hectometers. In an exciting sprint he defeated Jonathan Milan and Biniam Girmay. Jenthe Biermans came 4th.

• Winner(s) of the day: As stage winner, the spotlight is of course on Tim Merlier. He fell a bit on the climb shortly before the finish, but he fought back in the final straight line. The Belgian was clearly faster than the rest. Tadej Pogacar also deserves praise. A day after his solo victory at Oropa, he showed himself again.

• Remarkable: Along the way it went from very slow to very fast. The elite group with a pack of sprinters gave the stage some color. In the end it was a fruitless effort as everything came together.

• Tomorrow: The Giro organization is not a fan of flat sprints. Tomorrow there will be another annoying climb in the deep final: the Capo Mele. You may know it from Milan-San Remo.

Sprinting in Fossano. Everyone seemed to be content with that scenario. No one wanted a day on the run.

The first hours of competition went smoothly. The riders chatted at about 38 kilometers per hour. Lilian Calmejane and Davide Ballerini provided a first intermezzo, but they were blown back to the peloton.

The first intermediate sprint of the day really created a new race situation. A group of riders separated to compete for some points and the difference was even a minute.

There was some doubt at the front, but ultimately the group of 23 riders decided to continue. Kooij, Merlier, Groves, Van Poppel, Ewan, Milan, … Almost all favorites were there.

The peloton only woke up when the elite group achieved 1’40”. The work of a number of teams paid off, because the deficit fell.

Things went so fast in the group that there was a gap during a short descent. Most important person released: Cian Uijtdebroeks.

The wearer of the white youth jersey could count on a few teammates. After a tough battle, there was a general regrouping 45 kilometers from the finish.

The elite group was also there for the effort and so the relative peace was restored to the race. Sprint teams did position themselves towards the final.

The final was spiced up by a slope of 1.5 kilometers at 5%. After the top, there were only 3 kilometers left to the finish, so a tough challenge for the sprinters.

That became even more spicy when Tadej Pogacar interfered. The hungry Slovenian responded to an attack from Mikkel Honoré. Geraint Thomas was also at the appointment.

Pogacar went all out for a second stage win. The Dane could no longer follow Honoré on the flat road to the finish. Thomas saw stars in the wheel.

Only Lidl-Trek still had some men in the peloton. It led the chase and caught Pogacar and Thomas 500 meters from the finish.

Tobias Lund Andresen optimistically went first, but that was too early. Kooij and Merlier were quite far away after the slope, but they still squeezed forward.

Kooij got stuck, but Merlier found the space to sprint. He competed against Jonathan Milan, but on the line the Belgian finished half a wheel ahead of the Italian.

Three years after his first stage victory, this is his second success in the Tour of Italy.

• Tadej Pogacar: “I didn’t attack, but I followed Honoré. It was a favorable situation and we tried to continue. Still, I never believed that we could make it. I did have good legs. It felt like a game, like before with friends: just attack each other.”

• Geraint Thomas: “It was not my plan to attack. I mainly wanted to stay out of trouble. Pogacar started and I thought ‘Why not?’ He really made me suffer. I told him that too. I tried to take over , but it was really tough.”

• Olav Kooy: “In the last kilometers it was a rush and a standstill for me. During the sprint I found no space on the left. I tried from the right, but then I lost my speed. I am satisfied with my feeling. I had little trouble with it. my fall yesterday. Hopefully I can make a full recovery in the next few days.”

• Cian Uijtdebroeks: “It was exciting for a while. We knew it could come together again, but it was a tricky situation. The team did a fantastic job. Fortunately we have good guys for the flat. It’s a lesson to be on your guard are in the Giro.”

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