Anything happens: Roglic is even stronger than a mechanical problem that causes him to lose at least 10 seconds
From the early stages of the time trial it is clear that the first three in the standings will fight for the victory of the stage, as they are too strong uphill compared to the others. In the second split Roglic is 16" ahead of Thomas and 32" ahead of Almeida, but the Slovenian is very unlucky as he is forced to put his foot down due to the fall of the chain in one of the hardest sections of the climb. Primoz doesn't lose heart and flies in the last two kilometres, while Thomas lands slightly and finishes second at 40”, being overtaken in the standings by only 14”. Joao Almeida completes the podium both in the stage and in the general classification. The best of the Italians is always a great Damiano Caruso who closes the quarter of the day and in general. Instead, Dunbar loses two positions (from 5th to 7th) in favor of Pinot and Arensman.
For Roglic it is the revenge of the 2020 Tour where he was mocked precisely in a time trial in the penultimate stage. For Geraint Thomas, on the other hand, the possibility of winning another Grand Tour vanishes, perhaps the last of his career, by a handful of seconds.
ARRIVAL ORDER:
1 ROGLIČ Primož Jumbo-Visma 0:44:23
2 THOMAS Geraint INEOS Grenadiers 0:40
3 ALMEIDA Joao UAE Team Emirates 0:42
4 CARUSO Damiano Bahrain - Victorious 0:55
5 PINOT Thibaut Groupama - FDJ 0:59
6 KUSS Sepp Jumbo-Visma 1:05
7 MCNULTY Brandon UAE Team Emirates 1:07
8 ARENSMAN Thymen INEOS Grenadiers 1:18
9 LEKNESSUND Andreas Team DSM 1:49
10 VINE Jay UAE Team Emirates 1:53
GENERAL RANKING:
1 ROGLIČ Primož Jumbo-Visma 82:40:36
2 THOMAS Geraint INEOS Grenadiers 0:14
3 ALMEIDA João UAE Team Emirates 1:15
4 CARUSO Damiano Bahrain - Victorious 4:40
5 PINOT Thibaut Groupama - FDJ 5:43
6 ARENSMAN Thymen INEOS Grenadiers 6:05
7 DUNBAR Eddie Team Jayco AlUla 7:30
8 LEKNESSUND Andreas Team DSM 7:31
9 KÄMNA Lennard BORA - hansgrohe 7:46
10 DE PLUS Laurent INEOS Grenadiers 9:08
Photo: Sprint Cycling Agency
