Giro d’Italia 2024 Stage Report: Stage 18 looked tailor-made for the points leader, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), but it was Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) who just got the better of the big Italian on the line. Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took third place in a chaotic sprint. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) finished in the peloton to hold his overall lead with three days to go.
Stage 18 sprint
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Stage win No.2 for Tim Merlier
Tim Merlier took his second stage victory in the 20024 Giro d’Italia. The Soudal Quick-Step Belgian, who won stage 3, was the fastest in a bunch sprint beating Jonathan Milan and Kaden Groves. There was no change on the GC.
Shortly after the start, the KOM in Lamon marks the sole topographical impediment of the stage, followed by approx. 150 km on flat, constantly descending terrain. Roads are variably wide and mostly straight, with common traffic obstacles to be found in urban areas along the route. The final kilometres are flat, with just two curves interrupting the straight last kilometre. One final sweeping bend leads into Prato della Valle and into the home straight (450m), on 9m wide tarmac.
Romain Bardet and friends at the start
After a fast, rainy opening section, where the peloton split into two parts, four riders got away on the only climb of the day. Mikkel Honoré (EF Education-EasyPost) was joined by Filippo Fiorelli (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè), Andrea Pietrobon & Mirco Maestri (Polti Kometa). In the peloton, Domenico Pozzovivo, who lost a lot of time on Wednesday, was in trouble, but luckily the peloton eased back on the pace and he managed get back to the main bunch.
Giulio Pellizzari (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane) – A star for the future
The leaders at the start
Tadej Pogačar is the monster on the left
The four leader managed to build up a lead of 2 minutes. Bur the Lidl-Trek riders stopped them taking any more time. They were helped by Soudal Quick-Step and eventually by Tudor Pro Cycling. The pace stayed high and so the lead dropped to less than 1 minute.
It’s never nice starting in the rain
A day for umbrellas in Fiera di Primiero
Sixty kilometres from the finish, Stefan De Bod (EF Education-EasyPost) tried to cross to the leaders. The South African jumped away, but was chased down by Daan Hoole, Lidl-Trek teammate of Jonathan Milan. as soon as De Bod was brought back, Edoardo Affini (Visma | Lease a Bike) rode across to the leaders.
The start of the stage was far from easy
The ‘Break of the Day’ – Two Polti Kometa riders
Affini must have hoped that the sprinter’s teams would ease off, but that didn’t happen. The peloton kept them at 30 seconds for a long time, but 10 kilometres from the finish, the break was over. There was going to be a bunch sprint in Padova.
Would Pogačar take it easy today?
The break wasn’t expected to hold off the sprinters
Thymen Arensman was unlucky enough to suffer a puncture in the finale. The Dutchman is sitting sixth overall and so his teammate, Tobias Foss, gave him his bike and he was able to return to the peloton with help from Jhonatan Narváez. At the front of the peloton, the sprinter’s teams had started fighting for the best seats. The Tudor team took the lead with 2 kilometres to go, but Lidl-Trek and Soudal Quick-Step pushed their way the front. There was one problem, Milan had lost his lead-out train.
Edoardo Affini (Visma | Lease a Bike) joined the break, but the peloton wasn’t far behind
Padova – Nice place for a stage finish
The points leader had to fight his way through from behind in the finishing straight, as did Tim Merlier, although the Belgian had more space on his side of the road. The two both passed Kaden Groves and then lunged for the finish line side by side. Merlier just managed to push his front wheel across the line in front of three-time stage winner Milan by half a wheel. This was the Belgian’s second stage victory in this Grand Tour.
Milan lost his lead-out men, but was coming up fast
It was going to be close
Stage winner, Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step): “We tried to organise something from far out with Julian Alaphilippe. It was an important day. We were always in a good position. I was a bit surprised that the last kilometre was so fast. I found the moment to start my sprint. It was tight but I know I’m fast.”
Tim Merlier was just a little faster
2nd on the stage and points leader, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek): “It was a very complicated final today. It hurts me even more not to win, when you see the team doing a perfect job. I wanted to finish in the best possible way. I lost their wheel, that’s my own fault. If you see Jasper (Stuyven), Eddy (Theuns) and Simone (Consonni), they were in the perfect position to drop me off for the sprint, but I was too far back. I lost the wheel on the corners, but I still did my best to make up for something. Of course I will do my best for that too (stage 21).”
Only two tough stages before the finale in Rome – Tadej Pogačar (probably) has it in the bag
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Giro d’Italia Stage 18 Result:
1. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step in 3:45:44
2. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek
3. Kaden Groves (Aus) Alpecin-Deceuninck
4. Alberto Dainese (Ita) Tudor
5. Stanisław Aniołkowski (Pol) Cofidis
6. Fernando Gaviria (Col) Movistar
7. Madis Mihkels (Est) Intermarché-Wanty
8. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Jayco AlUla
9. Davide Ballerini (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan
10. Juan Sebastián Molano (Col) UAE Team Emirates.
Giro d’Italia Overall After Stage 18:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 67:17:02
2. Daniel Felipe Martínez (Col) BORA-hansgrohe at 7:42
3. Geraint Thomas (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 8:04
4. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at 9:47
5. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious at 10:29
6. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers at 11:10
7. Romain Bardet (Fra) dsm-firmenich PostNL at 12:42
8. Einer Rubio (Col) Movistar at 13:33
9. Filippo Zana (Ita) Jayco AlUla at 13:52
10. Jan Hirt (CZ) Soudal Quick-Step at 14:44.
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