After three weeks of racing across Italy, the 2024 Giro d’Italia concluded with a 125km-long sprint stage around Rome. It was set to be another showdown between Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), who have been by far the two best sprinters at this year’s race, and it was the Belgian rider who emerged victorious.
Milan and his teammates had done well to get him back into contention for the finish after a late mechanical for the Italian in the finale with around 9km to go when UAE Team Emirates were setting a high pace in the peloton. They brought him back to the front of the peloton as they went into the final kilometre and placed him in the perfect position going into the final few hundred metres.
Merlier’s acceleration meant that he was able to open up a gap on the rest of the sprinters though, as he launched with around 250 metres to go and nobody was able to come around him. Milan looked like he was going to challenge for the win, but he was unable to get alongside and in the end it was a rather comfortable victory for Merlier.
Behind him, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) safely crossed the finish line to seal his overall victory and all of the GC contenders finished on the same time in the peloton, meaning that there were no changes in the top-10 in the general classification.
HOW IT HAPPENED
As we have seen in previous Grand Tours, the final stage is often a procession and the final stage of this year’s Giro d’Italia was no different. At the start of the day, all of the riders were very relaxed, as UAE Team Emirates celebrated their overall victory with Pogačar in the Maglia Rosa.
As the riders reached the finishing circuit in the historic city centre of Rome, Domenico Pozzovivo (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) was allowed to ride ahead of the peloton as they crossed the finish line for the first time. After 18 participations at the race, it was the 41-year-old Italian’s final stage of the Giro d’Italia before his retirement at the end of the season.
A few kilometres later, we saw the first attacks of the stage with a four-man group of Ewen Costiou (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Alex Baudin (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Mikkel Honoré (EF Education-EasyPost) and Martin Marcellusi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) going up the road with around 71km to go. The sprinters’ teams were content with the selection, but they never allowed the breakaway more than thirty seconds of an advantage.
They worked well together, but were always kept on a tight leash by the peloton. The sprinters’ teams then came to the fore, with Soudal Quick-Step, Lidl-Trek and Alpecin-Deceuninck beginning to organise themselves at the front of the main bunch, and the gap began to fall to the riders at the head of the race.
A crash in the peloton with around 14km to go saw Michael Storer, who broke into the top-10 overall on stage 20, hit the deck along with the likes of Dries De Pooter (Intermarché-Wanty) and Hugo Hofstetter (Israel-Premier Tech) also involved. It was a long chase back for the Australian rider, but he eventually made it back to the peloton and finished on the same time as the rest of the GC contenders.
The breakaway was caught shortly after the crash, as Pieter Serry continued to set the pace for Soudal Quick-Step. UAE Team Emirates then assumed control, as they looked to take guide Juan Sebastián Molano to a stage win, with Pogačar himself helping out in the closing kilometres.
A poorly timed mechanical for Jonathan Milan with around 8km to go saw him off the back of the peloton and it looked as though he would not see the front of the race again. However, the Italian sprinter did manage to chase back on and his Lidl-Trek teammates were able to get him back to the front of the peloton.
They began their leadout with around a kilometre to go, but after having already made such a big effort to get back on, it was unclear whether Milan would have anything left for the sprint.
Going into the final few hundred metres, some twisting bends left a few riders out of position, which meant that nobody really had a clean leadout and as they hit the cobbles on the final straight Tim Merlier opened up his sprint with around 250 metres to go. The Belgian rider accelerated around the rest of the sprinters, launching his sprint at the perfect moment to catch everyone off guard.
As he hit the front, nobody was able to come around him, despite a late charge from Milan, and it was comfortable for Merlier in the end. His stage win also meant that he equalled Milan with three stage wins apiece at this year’s Giro d’Italia, in what has been a thrilling battle throughout the race between the two sprint rivals.
RESULTS: GIRO D’ITALIA 2024, STAGE 21, ROME > ROME (125KM)
1. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-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 Pro Cycling
8. Giovanni Lonardi (Ita) Polti-Kometa
9. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Jayco AlUla
10. Donavan Grondin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels, all at same time
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 21
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team 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 Quick-Step, +18:05
9. Romain Bardet (Fra) dsm-firmenich PostNL, +20:32
10. Michael Storer (Aus) Tudor Pro Cycling, +21:11
