Giro d’Italia Time Trials Overview
Josh Tarling from Ineos Grenadiers and race favorite Primoz Roglic led the field during the time trials, but it was Tarling who clinched victory in stage two of the Giro d’Italia, finishing just a second ahead in Albania on Saturday. The 21-year-old Welshman was understandably nervous as he approached the end of the trial, especially with Roglic close behind. While Tarling enjoyed his first Grand Tour stage win, Roglic had to settle for second but did take over the coveted pink jersey from Red Bullbora Hansgrohe.
Jay Vine, riding for UAE Team Emirates, finished in third place, just three seconds behind Tarling in the short 13.7km individual time trial held in Tirana. “Winning is definitely an exception,” Tarling remarked. This marks his second Grand Tour attempt, having not finished in last year’s Vuelta a España. In doing so, he became the youngest rider to win a Giro time trial.
Vine had crashed during the opening stage on Friday but regained his form quickly, overtaking Edoardo Affini before Tarling displayed his exceptional time trial skills. Having finished third in the 2023 World Road Time Trial, he remarked on the challenge of waiting for other competitors, expressing, “It was tough waiting for the other riders to complete the course, and I never want to do it again. I was scared of everyone among my favorites.”
Much attention is on Roglic, the 2023 winner, alongside reigning champion Tadej Pogacar, who is focusing on the Tour de France. At 35, Roglic is on track to become the oldest Giro winner. However, he faced some challenges during his ride; Wout Van Aert had to slow down early in his run. Van Aert also took home a bronze medal at the previous Olympics.
Mads Pedersen from Lidl-Trek, the winner of the opening stage, finished seventh, falling back by 12 seconds and losing a second from Roglic’s overall lead. Looking ahead, stage three on Sunday will offer another chance for riders to navigate the roads of Albania in a 160km ride that begins and concludes in Vlore.
The opening stage on Friday saw setbacks due to a crash involving Mikel Landa, which left both him and teammate Jeffrey Bouchard with serious injuries. Landa suffered a vertebra in his lower back, while Decathlon reported that Bouchard experienced a broken collarbone and several fractures in his back.
