After lacking out on a Grand Excursion look in 2023, Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) shall be again at some of the giant three-week races in Might for his 2d Giro d’Italia.
The Belgian’s position at the Giro roster used to be reportedly showed via workforce boss Patrick Lefevere to Sporza previous nowadays.
Merlier is among the winningest riders up to now in 2024, equivalent to Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Hire a Motorcycle) after his early-season good fortune of 7 victories around the AlUla Excursion, UAE Excursion and Belgian one-day races.
The sprinter used to be the only real saving grace for Soudal-QuickStep in Belgium all the way through fresh weeks as their struggles persevered on the cobbled Classics. Wins at Nokere Koerse and Scheldeprijs had been subsidized up via 2d at Vintage Brugge de Panne and 8th at gent-Wevelgem, however a crash and DNF at Paris-Roubaix ended his Spring on a bitter observe.
Merlier is about to be joined in the beginning of the Giro in Venaria Reale via two-time global champion Julian Alaphilippe, who will make his debut on the Italian Grand Excursion. A powerful dash educate will also be anticipated along the celebrity pairing with as much as 8 conceivable dash alternatives at the menu in Might.
He will make up a part of a stacked sprinting lineup which is scheduled to incorporate Olav Kooij (Visma-Hire a Motorcycle), Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Wanty), Fabio Jakobsen (DSM-Firmenich PostNL), Sam Welsford (Bora-Hansgrohe), Caleb Ewan (Jayco AlUla) and Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
Historical past is on Merlier’s facet in Italy having gained a level on debut on the race in 2021. It used to be at the first highway level of the race and used to be the Belgian’s first-ever dash alternative at a Grand Excursion.
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He deserted the race after level 10 with fatigue however went directly to make his Excursion de France debut later that season the place he took a level win at the 3rd day. Merlier additionally deserted the Excursion that season after you have left in the back of at the highway after 9 tricky days of racing.
Merlier hasn’t raced a Grand Excursion because the Vuelta in 2022, some 18 months in the past, however he’s a a lot more whole rider now and is eager to turn out himself on the greatest phases races.
The Belgian turns into much more essential for Soudal-QuickStep with Remco Evenepoel’s fresh accidents. With the GC celebrity out with a damaged collarbone and scapula, it leaves most effective Merlier and Paul Magnier as to be had riders who’ve taken a win for the Belgian squad in 2024.