Pogačar consolidated the overall lead by a second. The two-time Tour de France winner is 46 seconds ahead of Britain’s Geraint Thomas. Czech cyclist Jan Hirt is still eighth with a gap of 73 seconds.
Merlier, riding his first Grand Tour since 2022, claimed his second stage win at the Giro. In this season, he already won the eighth championship, equaling Pogačar at the top of the statistics.
“This was my hardest win yet. The journey was really challenging. We caught up with them, but I didn’t manage to overtake anyone in the last kilometer. I was still riding in the wind and 300 meters before the finish I thought to myself: you have to go,” said Merlier.
Pogacar is always hungry for victory. It’s a crazy thing. There is no respite anymore, not even on sprint days.
They hunted him 200 meters away after torturing Thomas on the plain. What a show. The prize for Merlier, a 10-year-old sprinter pic.twitter.com/OszxPnPqKl
— Alberto Marcos Gallego (@albermg) May 6, 2024
In the finish, he beat home Jonathan Milan and Eritrean Biniam Girmay. “I saw Milan start sprinting on the left side. I thought I would be first or second. I’m happy that I won,” said the 31-year-old Belgian from the Soudal Quick-Step stable, for which Czech participants Gira Hirt and Josef Černý also ride.
Less than three kilometers before the finish line, Pogačar got behind the attacking Dane Mikkel Honoré, and Thomas joined the Slovenian favorite. “I didn’t attack, I got out,” said Pogačar. “It was a good situation, me, Mikkel Honoré and Thomas. We tried to drive, but I didn’t believe we could make it to the finish line. Geraint also tried to pull in the end, which surprised me. I tried at the end, but 400 meters to the finish line is still far, too far,” stated the Slovenian, who is riding the Giro for the first time.
Giro d’Italia cycling race – 3rd stage (Novara – Fossano, 166 km): 1. Merlier (Belg./Soudal-Quick Step) 3:54:352. Milan (It./Lidl-Trek)3. Girmay (Eritr./Intermarché-Wanty)4. Biermans (Belg./Arkéa-B&B Hotels)5. Andresen (Dan./dsm-firmenich PostNL)6. Kooij (Niz./Visma-Lease a Bike)…60. HIRT all the same time131. Černý (both Czech Republic/Soudal-Quick Step) -3:31. Current ranking: 1. Pogačar (Slovenia/UAE Emirates) 11:03:022. Thomas (Brit./Ineos Grenadiers) -463. Martínez (Col./Bora-hansgrohe) -474. Rubio (Col./Movistar)5. Uijtdebroeks (Belg./Visma-Lease and Bike) both -566. Fortunato (It./Astana-Kazaqstan) -1:07…8. HIRT -1:13165. BLACK -43:48
2024-05-06 15:50:59
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