The Belgian was again one of the fastest riders.
Tim Merlier racked up his eighth top three finish of the season in Follonica, which hosted a stage finish at the “Race of the Two Seas” for the second year in a row. It was a strong result for Tim on the first bunch sprint of the year for him on European soil, after his spectacular campaign in the Middle East, which saw him take a total of five victories.
Just like in Paris-Nice the other day, the peloton in Italy enjoyed a quiet stage until the final kilometers, when things became hectic, making for a frantic finale. Soudal Quick-Step worked tirelessly the entire day, controlling the stage with Josef Cerny – our best man in the ITT – before Kasper Asgreen and Julian Alaphilippe took over on the local lap, their mammoth turns helping our train take center stage under the flamme rouge.
A tricky right-hand corner made things a bit tricky, but Tim Merlier overcame it with ease, rounding it out in second position. The 31-year-old launched his sprint from afar and took second place behind Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), which put him in contention for the points jersey.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
Tim Merlier 
