After three weeks of racing throughout Italy, the 2024 Giro d’Italia concluded with a 125km-long dash stage round Rome. It was set to be one other showdown between Tim Merlier (Soudal Fast-Step) and Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), who’ve been by far the 2 finest sprinters at this yr’s race, and it was the Belgian rider who emerged victorious.
Milan and his teammates had accomplished properly to get him again into rivalry for the end after a late mechanical for the Italian within the finale with round 9km to go when UAE Staff Emirates had been setting a excessive tempo within the peloton. They introduced him again to the entrance of the peloton as they went into the ultimate kilometre and positioned him within the excellent place going into the ultimate few hundred metres.
Merlier’s acceleration meant that he was in a position to open up a spot on the remainder of the sprinters although, as he launched with round 250 metres to go and no person was in a position to come round him. Milan appeared like he was going to problem for the win, however he was unable to get alongside and in the long run it was a relatively snug victory for Merlier.
Behind him, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Staff Emirates) safely crossed the end line to seal his general victory and the entire GC contenders completed on the identical time within the peloton, which means that there have been no adjustments within the top-10 within the common classification.
HOW IT HAPPENED
As we’ve got seen in earlier Grand Excursions, the ultimate stage is commonly a procession and the ultimate stage of this yr’s Giro d’Italia was no completely different. Firstly of the day, the entire riders had been very relaxed, as UAE Staff Emirates celebrated their general victory with Pogačar within the Maglia Rosa.
Because the riders reached the ending circuit within the historic metropolis centre of Rome, Domenico Pozzovivo (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) was allowed to trip forward of the peloton as they crossed the end line for the primary time. After 18 participations on the race, it was the 41-year-old Italian’s closing stage of the Giro d’Italia earlier than his retirement on the finish of the season.
A number of kilometres later, we noticed the primary assaults of the stage with a four-man group of Ewen Costiou (Arkéa-B&B Inns), Alex Baudin (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Mikkel Honoré (EF Training-EasyPost) and Martin Marcellusi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) going up the highway with round 71km to go. The sprinters’ groups had been content material with the choice, however they by no means allowed the breakaway greater than thirty seconds of a bonus.
They labored properly collectively, however had been at all times stored on a good leash by the peloton. The sprinters’ groups then got here to the fore, with Soudal Fast-Step, Lidl-Trek and Alpecin-Deceuninck starting to organise themselves on the entrance of the primary bunch, and the hole started to fall to the riders on the head of the race.
A crash within the peloton with round 14km to go noticed Michael Storer, who broke into the top-10 general on stage 20, hit the deck together with the likes of Dries De Pooter (Intermarché-Wanty) and Hugo Hofstetter (Israel-Premier Tech) additionally concerned. It was a protracted chase again for the Australian rider, however he ultimately made it again to the peloton and completed on the identical time as the remainder of the GC contenders.
The breakaway was caught shortly after the crash, as Pieter Serry continued to set the tempo for Soudal Fast-Step. UAE Staff Emirates then assumed management, as they appeared to take information Juan Sebastián Molano to a stage win, with Pogačar himself serving to out within the closing kilometres.
A poorly timed mechanical for Jonathan Milan with round 8km to go noticed him off the again of the peloton and it appeared as if he wouldn’t see the entrance of the race once more. Nevertheless, the Italian sprinter did handle to chase again on and his Lidl-Trek teammates had been in a position to get him again to the entrance of the peloton.
They started their leadout with round a kilometre to go, however after having already made such a giant effort to get again on, it was unclear whether or not Milan would have something left for the dash.
Going into the ultimate few hundred metres, some twisting bends left a couple of riders out of place, which meant that no person actually had a clear leadout and as they hit the cobbles on the ultimate straight Tim Merlier opened up his dash with round 250 metres to go. The Belgian rider accelerated round the remainder of the sprinters, launching his dash on the excellent second to catch everybody off guard.
As he hit the entrance, no person was in a position to come round him, regardless of a late cost from Milan, and it was snug for Merlier in the long run. His stage win additionally meant that he equalled Milan with three stage wins apiece at this yr’s Giro d’Italia, in what has been an exhilarating battle all through the race between the 2 dash rivals.
RESULTS: GIRO D’ITALIA 2024, STAGE 21, ROME > ROME (125KM)
1. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Fast-Step, in 2:51:50
2. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek
3. Kaden Groves (Aus) Alpecin-Deceuninck
4. Fernando Gaviria (Col) Movistar
5. Tim van Dijke (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike
6. Stanisław Aniołkowski (Pol) Cofidis
7. Alberto Dainese (Ita) Tudor Professional Biking
8. Giovanni Lonardi (Ita) Polti-Kometa
9. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Jayco AlUla
10. Donavan Grondin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Inns, all at similar time
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 21
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Staff Emirates, in 79:14:03
2. Daniel Felipe Martínez (Col) Bora-Hansgrohe, +9:56
3. Geraint Thomas (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, +10:24
4. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, +12:07
5. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious, +12:49
6. Thymen Arensman (Ned) Ineos Grenadiers, +14:31
7. Einer Rubio (Col) Movistar, +15:52
8. Jan Hirt (Cze) Soudal Fast-Step, +18:05
9. Romain Bardet (Fra) dsm-firmenich PostNL, +20:32
10. Michael Storer (Aus) Tudor Professional Biking, +21:11
