Tim Merlier of Soudal-Quick-Step won Stage 3 of the Giro d’Italia in a thrilling bunch sprint, crossing the line just ahead of Jonathan Milan of Lidl-Trek. The race leaders Tadej Pogacar and Geraint Thomas had a late lead but were caught by the sprinters with 250m to go. The stage was set up for a sprint finish from the beginning, with no riders attempting a breakaway early on. Lilian Calmejane briefly broke away and won the mountains points before returning to the peloton.
As the race progressed, the peloton split due to increased pace from sprinters looking to contest the intermediate sprints. Jonathan Milan won both sprints and showed why he was a favorite for the stage win. The group of fast riders managed to establish a lead of almost two minutes before Movistar and Polti-Kometa started to chase. Another split in the peloton briefly put Cian Uijtdebroeks in trouble, but they regrouped before the finish in Fossano. Pogacar and Thomas made a late attack but were caught by the sprinters just in time for the finish.
Merlier, who had been omitted from his team’s squads last season, claimed his first Grand Tour stage victory since 2022. He described it as his hardest victory yet, as he struggled to find a good slipstream in the final kilometer. Biniam Girmay finished in third place, his best Grand Tour result since his first win in Jesi two years ago. Pogacar increased his overall lead by a single second, with Thomas moving into second place overall after gaining a bonus second.
Thomas admitted that the stage conclusion wasn’t according to plan, as they had aimed to stay out of trouble and avoid any mishaps. Pogacar also retained the mountains jersey, with Uijtdebroeks holding on to the best young rider classification. Merlier’s stage victory and points earned in the intermediates were enough to earn him the maglia ciclamino, taking it from Filippo Fiorelli. Despite being tied on points with Milan, Merlier wears the jersey due to his superior stage placing. Fans can watch the 2024 Giro d’Italia live on discovery+, the Eurosport app, and eurosport.com.
