FOSSANO, Italy — Belgian rider Tim Merlier won the third stage of the Giro d’Italia after race leader Tadej Pogacar almost caught the sprinters by surprise.
Merlier claimed his second career stage win at the Italian grand tour ahead of Jonathan Milan and Biniam Girmay.
Pogacar, who grabbed the pink jersey during Stage 2, was not expected to shine during Stage 1’s trek between Novara and Fossano. With its mainly flat profile and just a small hill near the finish, the 103-mile (166-kilometer) stage looked ideal for the first battle between the sprinters.
The main overall contenders were expected to spend the day safely in the peloton but Pogacar had other ideas.
After a breakaway group which formed after the first intermediate sprint was caught with some 43 kilometers left, Pogacar sprinted for the bonus seconds awarded in the town of Cherasco.
Ben Swift, a teammate of Geraint Thomas, was the fastest, however, and took the bonus three seconds. Pogacar was second followed by Geraint Thomas and gained two seconds. Thomas was awarded a one-second bonus.
As the peloton rode toward the finish line in a drizzle, Mikkel Honore launched a bold move with three kilometers left, setting up a breathtaking finale.
Only Pogacar and Thomas could follow and the pair looked like they could pull it off after they dropped Honore. But the long section of road that followed a hairpin bend was too much to handle and the sprinters caught them with 500 meters to go.
“This is my hardest victory so far,” Merlier said. “It was a really hard final. It’s been very difficult to come across to Pogacar and Thomas.”
Pogacar leads second-placed Thomas by 46 seconds, with Daniel Martinez in third place, 47 seconds off the pace.
The Giro ends in Rome on May 26.
