Giro d’Italia | Stunning climber Pogacar still takes time trial victory, Ganna is still left behind

Pogacar eventually won the time trial in 51.44, an average of 47.087 km/h. Ganna conceded 17 seconds and finished second. Most podium candidates suffered a serious blow. Geraint Thomas, for example, conceded two minutes to Pogacar. After a bad opening weekend, Thymen Arensman surprised with a fourth place. He lost exactly one minute on the pink jersey wearer.

After 18.6 kilometers, Pogacar was 44 seconds behind Ganna at the first time measurement. The classification leader thus only recorded the tenth fastest time. At the foot of the climb that difference had even increased to 47 seconds, the same as Arensman. However, Pogacar then turned on the gas tap.

The more than 40 kilometer long time trial consisted of two parts: a flat part of 34 kilometers and a quite difficult and quite ascending final, to the center of Perugia. Anyone who had given everything in the first part could still lose a lot of time on the climb. While a large part of the peloton had not explored the course – after all, they had no interest in the classification – the time trial obviously held no secrets for Ganna, Pogacar and the other contenders for a high ranking in the daily and/or final classification.

The non-climber Ganna was of course at a disadvantage uphill, he appeared to have lost some time to opponents. Pogacar had more of an advantage in terms of physique and musculature and thus regained more than a minute at the end. Almost incredible how quickly he turned the deficit into a lead.

Ganna had a pretty bad start to his time trial. Not long after the start, he hit a cycling fan in the streets of Foligno who was trying to take a selfie. Naturally, it took him out of his rhythm for a short time. Once back on track, Ganna overtook no fewer than eight (!) fellow riders along the way. Some seemed to stand still in relation to the Italian.

Pogacar had also achieved a victory before the time trial. After a war of words with all cycling authorities, Pogacar was allowed to start in purple pants, which are now no longer called purple pants.

From a Dutch point of view, Thymen Arensman’s performance was a big boost. The young INEOS rider finished fourth, exactly one minute behind stage winner Pogacar. In the opening weekend Arensman could not follow the favorites and lost a lot of time. Before the time trial, Arensman was 26th, 4.09 behind Pogacar. Although that did not decrease, he did move up quite a few places in the rankings. The former cyclo-cross rider is now eleventh in the rankings.