Merlier pips Milan in thrilling and chaotic sprint to win Stage 18

Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) clinched a hugely entertaining sprint victory on Stage 18 of the Giro d’Italia as he pipped Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) on the line.

The Belgian did not look at all likely to triumph when the early bunch formed for the sprint to the line. Both he and Milan lost touch with their lead-out trains in the final kilometre, although each was able to improvise, roaring through in hugely impressive fashion. Milan’s superior speed sustainability looked to have won it for him, but Merlier it was who saluted the sky with his fist. The Italian could only bang his handlebars in frustration.

Sandwiched between two big GC battles in the mountains, the 178km stage from Fiera di Primiero in Trentino to Padova in the Veneto was set up as a simple, transitional office day for the riders.

Downhill almost from the start, the hope for cross-country cruise was complicated by dark clouds dumping a week’s worth of rain on the roll-out. The battle for the breakaway was keenly contested on the early downhill kilometres. Edoardo Affini (Visma-Lease A Bike) tried his best to get away, but – for reasons known only to them – Alpecin-Deceuninck were even more determined to contain him. There were more of them. Affini was caged.

The sole categorised climb allowed a break of four riders to steal a march. They were Mikkel Honore (EF Education EasyPost), Mirco Maestri and Andrea Pietrobon (Polti-Kometa), Filippo Fiorelli (VF Group-Bardiani-Faizane). The three ProTour riders, who had between them spent more than 1000km in breakaways at this Giro were all contesting the Intergiro, Fuga (for the most time in the break) and intermediate sprint prizes.

Though no realistic prospect of going the distance, the quartet was determined to stay out as long as possible, or at least through the final sprint at Martellago, which came 50km from the finish.

And despite the lack of doubt, the sprint teams allowed the break the shortest of leashes. Their lead was never more than two minutes and was for most of the day nearer one. Into the final third of the race, and the gap was ticking down to 30 seconds, which invited fresh attacks. One from Stefan de Bod was snuffed out by Daan Houle (Lidl-Trek), though Affini was finally, somehow, able to launch himself across.

It was a pyrrhic victory for him, as the peloton opted then to let the leaders dangle. For the next 40km, they were always in eyeshot, and only at the 10km barrier was the catch completed.

On dry roads the sprint teams and GC squads guided their protectees into Padova. Tudor Pro Cycling seemed determined, with Matteo Trentin on bodyguard duty for Tudor Pro Cycling. Julian Alaphilippe took responsibility for Merlier.

The last few 1000m brought repeated road narrowings and widenings which caused sprint teams to lose their leaders. Under the flamme rouge and neither Merlier nor Milan was on one of their preferred wheels.

At 450m Milan, in fact, looked out of it. He only wasn’t because every lesser sprinter was looking for him, and held back. Milan was able to make his way through and launch alongside Dainese. He had the speed but Merlier had the left-hand side of the road, the better place to be relative to the finish line. The pair could not be separated by the naked eye, but neither rider was in doubt. Merlier raised his fist, Milan banged his against his handlebars.

Afterwards, Merlier credited his team for setting him up for a strong finale: “We were always in a good position, not the perfect line, but a good position. I was a bit surprised how fast the last kilometres were. When I started my sprint I needed to go a bit around, but in the end, I made it.”

This is the first time Merlier has won a Grand Tour stage beyond the opening week, the first time he has won more than a single stage in one Grand Tour, and his first placing better than fifth since his victory on Stage 3 in Fossano. Asked whether that represented a step up in his career, Merlier replied simply, “The haters will be disappointed.”

Although there was late drama when Thymen Arensmen (Ineos Grenadiers) suffered a mechanical, all the general classification riders made it in safely. The final standings will be settled by two days in the mountains on Friday and Saturday, before the Giro d’Italia draws to a close on Sunday in Rome.