photo credits @ Giro d’Italia
Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) claimed today’s Individual Time Trial in the Giro d’Italia, stopping the clock just one-second ahead of Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) in Tirana today.
Wout van Aert was expected to win this stage and claim the maglia rosa, but never put the hammer down as the Belgian rider struggled with stomach illness.
Elsewhere, Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) claimed the final spot on the podium, finishing 5-seconds behind Tarling, with US national time trial champion Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) fourth at 12 seconds.
As a result, Roglič took the pink jersey, while Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) lost 16 seconds to the veteran Slovenian, Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Racing) lost 27 seconds and Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) finished 28 seconds in arrears.
Additionally, Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) conceded 25 seconds to Roglič, Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) lost significantly more time at 42 seconds, while Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) lost 48 seconds. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) risked crashing on mid-course corner but fought on to lose 37 seconds to Roglič.
Pedersen was the last rider down the ramp, finishing just 12 seconds down on Roglič, but enough of a gap to force the Danish rider to relinquish the maglia rosa.
Earlier, Niklas Märkl (Team Picnic PostNL) was the first rider onto the 13.7km course through the Albanian capital. Consisting of eleven turns of 80 degrees or more, with a climb set in the middle, it was a classic time trial test, obliging riders to carefully consider their tactics even over the short distance.
One who got it right was Ethan Hayter (Soudal-Quickstep.) Fourth down the ramp, the British rider calculated his ride to perfection, with a commanding second split carrying him past the two riders ahead of him and sending him straight to the hotseat.
From there, Hayter enjoyed 45 minutes there before European champion Edoardo Affini (Visma-Lease a Bike) went eight seconds quicker.
UAE Emirates’ Jay Vine was not expected to contest the stage so the Australian stunned by going five seconds quicker than Affini at the 8km time check. The lightweight climber saw two seconds swing back towards the Italian in the next 5km, but it was enough for him to move into the lead.
