ROGLIC OVERCOMES MECHANICAL AND THOMAS TO LEAD GIRO D’ITALIA IN STUNNING TIME TRIAL WIN

Primož Roglič of Jumbo-Visma has done the ride of his life today to win the Giro d’Italia, flying up a mountainside in one of the hardest individual time trial courses in the race’s history to bypass Geraint Thomas of INEOS Grenadiers and take over the maglia rosa by 14 seconds heading into tomorrow’s concluding stage in Rome.

Roglič, the defending Olympic time trial champion but on a vastly different type of terrain, was on a terrific ride over the flat-to-modestly undulating first phase of the course, before changing bikes to his single-chainring/giant cog climbing bike, at which point he went positively nuclear. Roglic’s lead on the stage soared to thirty, forty seconds, and it was clear he was doing something special.

But with 26 seconds’ deficit to overcome and little information about Thomas’ performance behind him other than a time split before the climb that showed them neck and neck, Roglič appeared to see his hopes cruelly dashed as he bounced through a dip in the pavement and dropped his SRAM chain from the massive 44-tooth cog. Roglic dismounted, reoriented the chain, and got a push from a fan and mechanic to get going again, but it was a horror scene that seemed like it would revive the nightmares of his 2020 Tour de France defeat on the Planche des Belles Filles time trial stage, where Tadej Pogačar snatched victory away.

Roglič wasn’t done, however. His legs took over again, and under a canopy of Slovenian flags and ear-splitting noise from his screaming compatriots in attendance everywhere along the course, Roglič resumed his pace and the gap went back up.

Behind him, Thomas was feeling his legs go out on him. He reported at the finish line that the sensations turned negative along the persistent 15-20% gradients of Monte Lussari, a course that looks more like a walking path than a cycling route, and by the time Thomas reached the final kilometer — with its own little 22% punch — his chances to retain his lead had gone away.

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Thomas would finish in 45:03, just ahead of fellow UAE’s João Almeida but fully 40 seconds behind Roglič, who took the stage by the largest gap between any two riders on the final classification. By contrast, his 14 second lead that Roglič will carry into Rome tomorrow is the fourth-narrowest margin of victory, assuming no changes, in the history of the Giro, trailing the 11-second gap from 1948 and two other results, tucking in just ahead of the 16-second gap from 2012 for the closest Giro in the 21st century.

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The stage was a curious one with roads poorly suited to a major bike race, or to car traffic of any kind. But for an individual time trial it was mostly a success. Fans (largely from nearby Slovenia) packed the roadside like a stadium, and particularly with the final riders it looked like they were snaking through a wall of humanity. Each rider was trailed by motos, carring mechanics who themselves were shouldering replacement bikes. At the bottom of the climb, riders treated us to cyclocross-style dismounts and bike changes, including even helmet changes in the case of Thomas. Ultimately, the course delivered the drama that the orgnanizers hoped for.

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Thomas was philosophical at the finish line, saying “at least he smashed me” as a way of gauging his disappointment, compared to how a narrower defeat would have felt. He stood poised to become the first Welshman to win the Giro, as well as the third UK citizen after Chris Froome and Tao Geoghegan Hart in recent years. His Giro history has consisted of two disappointments where he left the race injured (and two earlier, anonymous finishes), so as poignant as Roglič’s story may be, Thomas’ stings as well. Gone is the chance to become, at 37, the oldest winner in Giro history, a record held by then-34 year old Fiorenzo Magni.

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For Roglič, his fourth grand tour win will pair nicely with three victorious campaigns at the Vuelta a España, and will leave him, at age 33, still with a hope to complete his trilogy at a future Tour de France. His Jumbo-Visma team is now built around defending Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard, so we will see what chances Roglič is permitted, but this Giro campaign showed that he can do everything necessary — climb, time trial, and overcome adversity. Roglič crashed multiple times along the way and slipped behind the surprising Thomas as his body struggled to shake off the bumps and bruises, but in the end he was the superior athlete.

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Before the final riders went off, it was a huge day for American cycling, where first Matthew Riccitello of Israel-Premier Tech set down a fabulous marker, and then UAE’s Brandon McNulty smashed the leaderboard with the first time under 46 minutes. He eventually gave way to Sepp Kuss of Jumbo-Visma, by two seconds. But then King of the Mountains winner Thibaut Pinot of FDJ, set to retire this year, took the race lead. By then the top riders were setting new marks and it was clear the stage would go to the GC favorites. Kuss and McNulty finished sixth and seventh, with Riccitello in 11th place on the day.

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Stage results:

1. ROGLIČ Primož, Jumbo-Visma, 44:23
2. THOMAS Geraint, INEOS Grenadiers, at 0:40
3. ALMEIDA João, UAE Team Emirates, at 0:42
4. CARUSO Damiano, Bahrain - Victorious, at 0:55
5. PINOT Thibaut, Groupama - FDJ, at 0:59
6. KUSS Sepp, Jumbo-Visma, at 1:05
7. MCNULTY Brandon, UAE Team Emirates, at 1:07
8. ARENSMAN Thymen, INEOS Grenadiers, at 1:18
9. LEKNESSUND Andreas, Team DSM, at 1:49
10. VINE Jay, UAE Team Emirates, at 1:53

General Classification

1. ROGLIČ Primož, Jumbo-Visma, 82:40:36
2. THOMAS Geraint, INEOS Grenadiers, at 0:14
3. ALMEIDA João, UAE Team Emirates, at 1:15
4. CARUSO Damiano, Bahrain - Victorious, at 4:40
5. PINOT Thibaut, Groupama - FDJ, at 5:43
6. ARENSMAN Thymen, INEOS Grenadiers, at 6:05
7. DUNBAR Eddie, Team Jayco AlUla, at 7:30
8. LEKNESSUND Andreas, Team DSM, at 7:31
9. KÄMNA Lennard, BORA - hansgrohe, at 7:46
10. DE PLUS Laurens, INEOS Grenadiers, at 9:08
11. RUBIO Einer Augusto, Movistar Team, at 10:43
12. VAN WILDER Ilan, Soudal - Quick Step, at 11:58
13. BUITRAGO Santiago, Bahrain - Victorious, at 12:21
14. KUSS Sepp, Jumbo-Visma, at 13:09
15. PARET-PEINTRE Aurélien, AG2R Citroën Team, at 14:13
16. ARMIRAIL Bruno, Groupama - FDJ, at 17:16
17. BARGUIL Warren, Team Arkéa Samsic, at 24:06
18. ZANA Filippo, Team Jayco AlUla, at 33:22
19. HAIG Jack, Bahrain - Victorious, at 34:46
20. KONRAD Patrick, BORA - hansgrohe, at 37:57

Points Standings

1. MILAN Jonathan, Bahrain - Victorious, 215 points
2. GEE Derek, Israel - Premier Tech, 160
3. ACKERMANN Pascal, UAE Team Emirates, 95
4. MATTHEWS Michael, Team Jayco AlUla, 93
5. SKUJIŅŠ Toms, Trek - Segafredo, 79

KOM

1. PINOT Thibaut, Groupama - FDJ, 237 points
2. GEE Derek, Israel - Premier Tech, 200
3. HEALY Ben, EF Education-EasyPost, 164
4. BAIS Davide, EOLO-Kometa, 144
5. RUBIO Einer Augusto, Movistar Team, 118

Young Rider

1. ALMEIDA João, UAE Team Emirates, 82:41:51
2. ARENSMAN Thymen, INEOS Grenadiers, at 4:50
3. LEKNESSUND Andreas, Team DSM, at 6:16
4. RUBIO Einer Augusto, Movistar Team, at 9:28
5. VAN WILDER Ilan, Soudal - Quick Step, at 10:43

Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images,