Merlier's competitors also high in confidence: "For the coming two or even three days"

On Monday, Tim Merlier won the first sprint opportunity in this Giro d'Italia. The Belgian of Soudal Quick-Step outpaced the competition in Fossano, but he wasn't the only one satisfied with the day's results. Alongside the Dutchmen Olav Kooij (sixth) and Fabio Jakobsen (who couldn't participate in the sprint), several other fast riders also reflected on the day.

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) was anticipated to be Merlier's biggest rival, which indeed came to pass. The strong Italian finished second. "It was a chaotic race, especially with that climb at the end. After the attack by Tadej Pogacar and Geraint Thomas, it was tough, and we lost track of each other a bit, but in the end, Merlier proved to be the better one." Milan knows another opportunity awaits on Tuesday. "I'll just go for it again."

A confidence boost for Girmay: "The finish came just a bit too soon"

Intermarché-Wanty saw Biniam Girmay finish third in the first sprint. "From the start, my teammates surrounded me well at the front of the peloton and guided me halfway through to the first intermediate sprint. When the peloton split afterward, we had four riders from the team in the leading group," said Girmay.

"With Madis Mihkels and Adrien Petit, I had two members of my sprint train by my side, so it was an ideal situation for us. We enjoyed racing at the front. After the general regrouping, we continued to show our strength by positioning ourselves well at the front of the peloton. With my teammates, we managed to start the final climb among the top ten riders," the African praised his team.

"When Pogacar attacked, it was all hands on deck as usual. In the last preparations for the sprint, it was man to man. Initially, I had Milan's wheel, but when I saw that the sprint on the right was launched with more speed into the headwind, I switched to Merlier's slipstream. The finish came just a bit too early for me, but I am happy with this result. It's great to secure a podium place in the first sprint stage. I am looking forward to the next two or even three stages," Girmay added, showing his ambition for the gravel stage ahead.

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Dekker excels in securing fourth place for Biermans

No sprinting for David Dekker at Arkéa-B&B Hotels, but Jenthe Biermans was there. The Belgian finished fourth. "That's a good result, especially in this field of sprinters. It got tense with that breakaway, but I stayed calm. Alan Riou and David positioned me perfectly for that tough climb, where I had very good legs. A rider like me doesn't get many chances in a grand tour, so I'm pleased to have come in fourth right away, both for myself and the team."

Ethan Vernon managed to snatch seventh place for Israel-Premier Tech. "As expected, it was chaotic. Actually, I was too far back going into the last kilometer, but luckily a gap opened up just then. That allowed me to suddenly get in a good position, although I didn't have the legs to hold it until the finish. All in all, it was a good start."

Alpecin-Deceuninck did everything they could throughout the day to position Kaden Groves, but ultimately a twelfth place was the best the Aussie could do. "INEOS Grenadiers set a strong pace, but in the end, it was a bigger group than I expected. We'll try again in the next days and will figure out how to beat these guys," he told Eurosport.

Lastly, Laurence Pithie, who finished seventeenth. "The team positioned me perfectly for the climb, but I lost some space there. Lewis Askey then set me up very well, but I simply didn't have the legs. From my side, it wasn't good, but the team did great. I can learn from that and I hope I feel better in the coming days."