Filippo Ganna stormed to an emphatic victory in the individual time trial on stage 10 of the Giro d'Italia on Tuesday, leaving his rivals trailing in his wake. The pre-race favourite, Jonas Vingegaard, failed in his bid to seize the overall lead as Afonso Eulálio battled valiantly to retain the pink jersey.
Ganna's Dominant Performance
No one could match Ganna, a time trial specialist, who completed the flat, 42-kilometre (26-mile) route along the Tuscan coast from Viareggio to Massa in a blistering 45 minutes and 53 seconds. The Italian had little cause for concern while awaiting confirmation of his eighth Giro stage win, seven of which have come in time trials.
Ganna's Netcompany-Ineos teammate Thymen Arensman finished second, one minute and 54 seconds behind. The Dutchman held a five-second advantage over Frenchman Rémi Cavagna (Groupama-FDJ United), who took third place. Vingegaard (Visma–Lease a Bike) was three minutes adrift of Ganna, finishing in 13th place.
“We have done an amazing job last winter to prepare for time trials,” Ganna said afterwards. “And it can be seen also with the GC riders of the team, look at Thymen in second place.”
Eulálio Holds On to Pink Jersey
Portugal’s Eulálio, who claimed the pink jersey after stage five, began the day with a two-minute and 24-second lead over Vingegaard. The Bahrain-Victorious rider dug deep to limit the damage and still holds a 27-second overall lead.
In what is the only time trial of this year’s race, Vingegaard was widely expected to seize control. While he is now within striking distance of Eulálio, the Portuguese rider defied the odds and his own pre-stage predictions.
“I’m not expecting a good time trial,” Eulálio had said. “It’s the worst possible type of stage for a lightweight climber like me. It’s going to be suffering.” Suffer he did, but with the finish line in sight, Eulálio found an extra gear to power through. “The pink jersey is giving me strength,” he said after Tuesday’s stage.
General Classification Shake-Up
Arensman was the biggest mover in the general classification, climbing from sixth to third overall, now one-and-a-half minutes behind Vingegaard. Meanwhile, Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) slipped from 35 seconds off the Dane to almost two minutes adrift.
Gall had been Vingegaard’s main rival on the recent summit finishes, where the favourite won two stages. The Austrian will now need to push hard once more to recoup his losses.
Looking Ahead
Wednesday’s stage 11 is a 195-kilometre ride from Porcari to Chiavari, lacking any categorised climbs but featuring a number of hills close to the finish line, promising another challenging day for the peloton.
